As We Lay To Rest
by Noon30ish
Summary: A drunken Jack stumbles into the wrong bed on a Sunday night before classes and sets off a chain of events that makes his platonic relationship with Hiccup difficult to maintain. Hiccup and Jack keep explaining it away, but neither of them expected it to become a life-or-death situation. Human!Jack x Older!Hiccup. Rated T for serious injury and abuse.
1. Mistaken Beds

**A/N: Hello everybody! This is my first crossover and honestly, my first time writing a pairing like this. Hopefully you guys like it! I only plan on this being a few chapters, around 5-6, but it might end up being 10-12. We'll see how much I like to draw things out. ;) Speaking of drawing, I'll have my own drawing as a cover to this story as soon as I've finished the drawing.**

 **Anyway, please read, review, and enjoy! :)**

* * *

 **Mistaken Beds**

* * *

Jack fumbled to get his dorm's keycard out of his pocket. Why did he have to stash it in the pants pocket rather than his sweatshirt? His drunken mind couldn't make sense of his sober decision to keep his card in the pocket that was least likely to lose it. It had fallen out of his sweatshirt too many times to count, and he always had to call up Hiccup when he became locked out. Jack had probably paid hundreds of dollars for all of the lost keycards he'd had to replace. Even Hiccup forked over some money a couple times. The boy said Jack needed to pay him back, but Hiccup never berated him for it. He was a good roommate like that. Jack bitterly thought his own behavior was a rude form of a thank-you: coming into the room on a Sunday night drunk off his ass. Hiccup would love that, especially if he was still awake.

The tip of the card poked into his hip, reminding him that he'd tucked it into his waistband instead. Perhaps he _had_ been drunk when he'd slipped the card on his person after all. Jack's fingers slipped on the deceptive plastic and a moment later he heard a few clacks on the floor. Peering down, Jack put a hand on the door frame to settle his uncertain balance. His mind swam and the ground seemed a little closer. A thud occurred a few seconds later and Jack realized that he was the one on the floor. Rolling onto his back, Jack felt more at ease and closed his eyes, thinking it would be okay to sleep here.

An indeterminable amount of time later and Jack opened his eyes. The card was on his face, balancing on his nose, and his head was held at an awkward angle against his door. Jack groaned and palmed his face, fingers failing to grasp the card. How the card got on his face, Jack didn't have the sobriety to think through. Rolling over, Jack reached up and fumbled with the door handle. He pulled his body up into a standing position and continued to open the door. Numbly realizing he still needed to actually use the card, Jack smashed the card into the slot after a few tries. He then pulled it out and watched to see the light turn green. _Alright, one more step. Enter your code and open the door. And make it to your bed. Wait, that wasn't one step._ Jack furrowed at the thought and contemplated it for awhile. By the time he remembered he had to punch the code in, the light had turned red. Grumbling, Jack struggled to put the card into the keyhole again. First, it was the wrong, longer side. Second, it was the wrong opposite side. Lastly, it was the right side, but it was too high or too low of the actual slot. They need to make these things bigger, Jack smirked crookedly. The light turned green again and he punched in the four numbers. Apparently, he punched it in wrong and the light flashed red again. Jack growled. He knew he put it in the right way! The dumb door was just not allowing him entrance. This was awful. He had a class tomorrow. He probably wouldn't go because of the resulting hangover this binge was sure to create, but _still_. The door must have something against him.

Suddenly the door opened. Jack opened it with his mind! He'd have to tell Hiccup in the mor─

Hiccup was standing in the doorway, clad in red boxers. "On a Sunday, dude? Really?" Hiccup turned back into the room to take a glimpse at the alarm clock, which read 4:30am. "Well, Monday, technically. But seriously?"

"H-hey, Hiccup," Jack's slurred speech certainly would have given him away if his appearance hadn't. Jack's brown hair was disheveled and his eyes had dark lines forming underneath. And although Jack didn't know this, his pants were also falling off, the buttons and zipper having both been undone. Hiccup didn't want to know how that occurred. Jack had probably gotten himself into more trouble than was worth mentioning. It would all blow over once he went to sleep. "I was trying not to wake you," Jack mumbled as he plodded through the doorway, ducking under Hiccup's arm that rested on the frame. Hiccup was surprised the boy didn't walk straight into his arm. Jack wavered his way through the room and fell onto the bed, falling asleep halfway through rolling over.

Hiccup was about to tell Jack that he'd gone into the wrong bed, but once Jack was asleep there was no waking him on any other terms but his own. "Seriously, Jack?" Hiccup muttered, shaking his head. He shut the door quietly─ much unlike Jack's attempts to open the door. Thankfully, Hiccup had been studying moments before Jack had shown up. Unthankfully, Hiccup had just been about to fall asleep after said studying when Jack's drunken stupor thrashed against the door, the floor, and the lock. Hiccup had listened to it for a moment, wondering if Jack was just being a trickster in order to make Hiccup get out of bed only to open the door before Hiccup got to the handle. Jack had done that before, and Hiccup always fell for it. The first few nights it was rather funny, but after the twelfth or so time, it got annoying. It was even more annoying when Jack was drunk.

The first few weekends at college, Hiccup had figured they'd just been experimenting with the college lifestyle. But a few weekends more and he realized Jack hadn't stopped. But at least it had only been on the weekends. Jack never drank on a weeknight─ this night being the first exception─ and worked harder than many other students. A few times Jack had mentioned his motives for college; it mainly involved his family and his sister. A picture of her was in a frame on Jack's desk─ one of the only things on his desk, in fact. But the drinking seemed to counter this. Hiccup didn't ask, but it bothered him. The weekends had been fun with Jack, and neither boy was very conservative about their lives. Hiccup had his fair share of stories about his controlling father and newly-returned mother (she'd been overseas working for a major corporation), and Jack had his fair shares about being the only working person in his household, caring for his sister and mother. They got along well, though. Hiccup believed that they were good friends, which was a good thing, since Jack didn't seem to have many friends other than the friends that were shared with Hiccup. Jack never had friends over, he always left─ but only on the weekends.

With these thoughts floating in and out of Hiccup's sleepy consciousness, he walked over to the bed and slid underneath the covers. Seconds later and he was out until morning.

* * *

 _Beep! Beep! Beep! BEEP! BEEP! BEE_ ─

Hiccup smacked the back of his hand against the alarm clock that was on the desk at the head of his bed. His half-lidded eyes glanced out the window to notice that it was still early. He could afford to sleep for a few snoozes. Jack did that to him all the time, so he figured the best way to repay him was when he had a hangover. Hiccup smirked as he rolled around again, only to feel something warm against his cheek. Before his mind could make the connections, Hiccup instinctively curled into the warmth and pressed his hand by his cheek.

A low rumble was heard and Hiccup's eyes flew open. There was an overwhelming amount of blue fabric in front of his eyes and they darted upward to test his suspicions. There Jack was, head lolled higher on Hiccup's pillow, brown hair plastered to his face, and his arms were encompassing Hiccup close to his chest. His eyes fluttered and Hiccup feared that his roommate would wake, but Jack simply cleared his throat and exhaled through parted lips, still passed out. Hiccup blinked and wrinkled his nose; he could still smell the alcohol on Jack's breath. Hiccup's head had been cradled underneath Jack's chin, but upon waking he had backed up to take in the situation. The boy pushed himself away from Jack only to find out that he had been on the edge of the bed and Jack had been keeping him from falling. Hitting the floor painfully, Hiccup let out a small yelp and cursed the gods.

For a few moments, Hiccup just lay there, completely at a loss for words. He'd completely forgotten that Jack had stumbled into _his_ bed and wasn't sure about how to figure out the events after he'd fallen asleep. Jack had been passed out... but there was no way that Hiccup initiated _anything_ that followed. But Jack didn't move much in his sleep. It scared Hiccup sometimes because Jack would appear to be dead most mornings, but he'd soon adjusted to the boy's sleeping habits. But this was nothing compared to other nights. One of them had done something. Sure, the college's standard-issue twin bed was very slim, but was what happened really the result of that? Was it some natural human instinct to grab onto another to anchor both of them to safety? Hiccup's lips turned downward; it was plausible, but he didn't know for sure. Perhaps he'd look it up later at the library after the day's classes.

Yeah, that's what he'd do.

 _Beep! Beep! Beep!_

* * *

Jack's eyes slowly opened. The effort exerted for this task was unbearably large. But the reason for being awoken was the sun that decided to snipe in between the blinds and directly onto the pillow his head rested upon. Grimacing, Jack spun around and his feet hit the floor faster than normal. His bed was raised higher than this, he thought. Looking around, Jack's mind put the pieces together. He fell asleep on Hiccup's bed, not his own. Jack swore to himself. He hadn't meant to make Hiccup take his bed, which was horribly unclean and unmade. Jack wasn't sure if he'd ever made that bed since he got here. His mother wasn't here to nag at him after work. Jack thanked whatever was out there for that, too, because his mother would be in a rage if she saw this. Even his sister would be a little disappointed. That thought determined Jack to make his bed when he sobered up today. If his family every scrounged up enough cash to visit, he'd have to make sure it was presentable. He might not even drink for a weekend if they gave him advanced notice. As soon as those thoughts cleared, Jack realized he was sitting on the floor and his head pounded. He must have been lightheaded, because he didn't remember falling and he didn't hear any thud.

Jack stood back up carefully and walked over to their shared coffeemaker on top of Hiccup's bookshelf. Flipping the top, Jack poured some grounds into the sifter and glanced around for water. Finding Hiccup's water bottle, Jack figured the boy wouldn't remember how much water he'd had and poured the rest of it into the machine. He shut the lid and pressed the button, understanding a second too late that he didn't have his mug. Instead of running to his side of the room, he simply grabbed Hiccup's and shoved it under the spout as hot liquid began pouring out. The problem being resolved, Jack walked back over to his side to grab a towel from the top of his dresser. No need to dirty anymore of Hiccup's things; Jack wasn't that awful of a roommate. He took the towel and pressed it around the edges of the coffeemaker where the coffee had begun to spill over.

The alarm clock read 10:17am, seventeen minutes past the start of his first class. Shrugging, Jack knew that this was bound to happen and decided that he would go to his second and last class of the day. That class didn't start until 3:00pm, but it lasted for two hours. Jack wasn't too happy about that, but he didn't like to miss classes. Hiccup wouldn't have to worry about him, either. Jack knew Hiccup must have noticed that Jack didn't drink on weekdays. Jack never wanted it to affect his academics, but last night was a weak point. After a certain phone call, Jack needed an escape. Instead of dwelling on it, Jack ducked his head into his sweatshirt and pulled it off of his body. The thing smelled an awful lot like vodka and the odor was pungent enough to make Jack want to puke. He stretched his bare torso just as the coffeemaker beeped, interrupting his improvised yoga practices. The thought of doing yoga entertained Jack, a smirk playing on his lips. He grabbed Hiccup's full coffee mug and his towel and walked over to his own side of the room, settling into his chair.

Jack sipped the coffee gratefully. He knew it wouldn't magically cure his hangover, but he was hoping the caffeine would jump start his brain enough to get him to finish some classwork. He didn't want to start getting behind, not when midterms were so close. His earliest exam was next week, and Jack needed to finish a few things. Not that many people knew, but Jack liked to be prepared. He liked to be, but he rarely was. Granted, his guesswork was fine-tuned and he was able to keep his grades above B's, yet he always aimed for more. At some point─ the same point every time─ he'd get distracted or in worst cases even distraught. Something would grab a hold of his mind and the anxieties got the best of him. He made sure that Hiccup never found out, or anyone else. He needed to make it through college for his mother and sister. The three of them had had a rough life after his father left, and Jack wanted to make sure that he didn't do the same. He shielded his sister as much as he could from the financially strained reality that they had to live in, and his mother had been so thankful. It scared her to see her only son trying to play father, son, and brother all at the same time. Jack had been working one job while his father had been around. Then two jobs after he left. Now, Jack was looking for a third while he was in college. Hopefully he could find a work study job, one where taxes wouldn't be taken out so that he could save up more.

Money. For his card. Jack's thoughts, sped up by the contents of half a cup of coffee, turned to last night. Where'd he put his card after getting into the room? Twisting around in the chair, Jack scrutinized the room for the familiar plastic piece. Not seeing anything, Jack stood up and walked over to his bed. His sweatshirt lay, haphazardly thrown, among his blankets. Jack picked it up and shook it, checked the pockets, and set it down again without regard for neatness. If the card wasn't there, Jack didn't care.

The boy scratched his bare shoulder and walked over to Hiccup's bed. He didn't know where else to check, and he _had_ fallen asleep there. It might still be in between the sheets. And Hiccup didn't have a chance to make the bed, so if his card was anywhere, it was _definitely_ there. Jack began shifting around the sheets, tearing them up and out and over in all kinds of twists. Hiccup would be a little upset that his bed was ruined, but considering Jack had slept in his bed in addition to making it messy, he doubted that Hiccup's anger would compile. After a few minutes, Jack heard the door open. He didn't bother to stop to look up; he knew who it was.

"Hey, Hiccup," Jack greeted automatically, tossing the sheets one final time. _There it is!_ The card was immediately apparent after Jack tossed the last, thinnest sheet. Why on Earth did Hiccup have so many sheets on his bed? Jack didn't remember shoving himself under all of these.

"Uh, hey," Hiccup slid his bag off his shoulder into the corner of the room where the shoes were kept. Both were his, of course. Jack didn't like to wear shoes, and if he did, Hiccup never saw them. Speaking of shoes, Jack wasn't wearing any. He also wasn't wearing a shirt. He was _also_ tearing apart his bed. "Y-you, uh, looking for something?"

Jack held up his card. "Thought I lost it," Jack beamed a smile, "thanks for the bed last night. You know I didn't mean to take yours, right?"

"That's fine," Hiccup was eager to wave the subject away and saw that his mug was over on Jack's desk. "Wait. Is that my cup?"

Jack's head whipped around to his side of the room and realized his laziness. "Oh yeah, I made coffee. You want some?" Jack walked over and grabbed the mug, still very warm, and handed it to Hiccup. "I only drank half. I figured you wouldn't be too happy with me using your stuff. Consider it an apology."

"Apology accepted," Hiccup took the cup warily and sniffed it. Jack didn't spike it, thankfully. Hiccup hadn't thought that Jack would do that, but he still made sure. Jack had been known to pull that sort of prank from time to time on the weekends, and it made homework impossible. Taking a sip, Hiccup kept a wary eye on his roommate. Jack smiled at him briefly before walking over to his dresser and undressing the rest of himself. Hiccup looked away immediately. It was an unspoken rule between them to turn away casually when the other was dressing, and Hiccup didn't intend to break it.

But he couldn't help it. He glanced in Jack's direction, trying to figure out if the boy remembered anything about the previous night. Jack was in his dark blue boxers─ one of the only pairs Hiccup believed Jack had─ and searching through various open drawers. Jack was acting as he normally would, so Hiccup turned back to his desk and set the cup down. He began to tear off the covers and make his bed. "You, uh, sleep okay?"

"Hmm? Yeah, sorry. About kicking you out of your bed, that is. I know my bed's not the cleanest place in the world," Jack explained as he stuck his feet into brown pant legs and pulled upward, shifting the waistband around until he felt comfortable. Jack then looked around his open shirt drawer for something he could wear until his sweatshirt was cleaned. Maybe he could toss it into Hiccup's laundry without his knowledge. Jack didn't have enough clothing to do laundry all that often, but his favorite sweatshirt needed a wash. Grabbing a faded white long-sleeve, Jack pulled it over his head lazily and turned to his roommate. "You wanna grab lunch in a little bit? I've got some work to do, but it shouldn't take more than half an hour, maybe an hour."

Hiccup stalled tucking in his sheets at the request. So Jack didn't remember the night before. Then again, Jack had been asleep when Hiccup crawled into the bed. There was no reason for Jack to remember. Hiccup just had to breathe. There was nothing wrong. It was a simple misunderstanding and nothing happened. "Sure, yeah. Just let me know. I can assume you didn't make it to class this morning?"

Jack laughed, pulling on a worn brown vest without buttoning it. "And look like all the other college washouts? C'mon, Hic, you know I'm better than that. Drinking on a Sunday night might not have been the best idea, but I'll pull through."

"You might want to 'pull through' a shower real quick there, bud," Hiccup tried to gear the conversation toward Jack's stagnant alcoholic odor, but he could tell it wasn't all that subtle.

Jack raised an eyebrow at him and sniffed under his shirt. "Fair enough," Jack pulled the shirt and vest off, already tugging his pants off with his toes, "make lunch an hour and a half." Hiccup was relieved that Jack wasn't one to get offended easily. Or if he did, the boy didn't show it. Turning around to finish making his bed, Hiccup heard Jack walk out of the room with a towel around his waist.

Sighing with relief, he fell onto his chair and stared at his desk. He should do some work, but he had class again in an hour. Perhaps lunch with Jack wouldn't be possible. Hiccup decided that he'd bring it up later to see if Jack would allow himself some time off to eat something. Jack was the type of person to go days without eating if he was focused on something else intensely enough. Hiccup often had to drag him out of the room or buy him snacks just so he could stop listening to the boy's stomach rumbling. It wasn't exactly a mindful action, but Hiccup wanted to look out for his roommate. He knew the status of his family and helped out whenever he could. Just because Jack was used to not eating for the sake of his family didn't mean that Hiccup would let him starve. Jack was way too skinny. Besides, it made Hiccup feel a little self-conscious. Hiccup weighed more, was taller, and had decidedly more muscles than Jack, but Hiccup still found himself comparing the two. He realized, every time, that it was an odd thing to do, but he couldn't help it. Hiccup had been very, well, awkward when he was younger. True, he had filled in nicely as told by others who had known him since high school, yet he still felt he had to compete. He didn't want to, but it was how he was raised. His bodybuilder-like father had made sure that had gotten through his head early. Hiccup shrugged the thought away and dug through his backpack for the week's work.

* * *

Jack stood in the shower as cold water poured over his face. Pieces of hair were stuck to his forehead and glued to the back of his neck. He hated hot showers. The cold was much more to his liking. It woke him up faster. And thanks to this cold water, Jack's thoughts began to return to him. Thoughts about last night started to rise out of the dense fog that had settled in his drunken mind.

He'd awoken during the end of the night, the sun nowhere close to rising, but the moon nowhere to be seen. Jack had lain on his back, staring at the ceiling. His lips had twitched in anger at himself and his actions. He knew he shouldn't have had any drinks that night. Hell, he didn't even _want_ to drink that night, but he had. Jack was in the middle of silently yelling at himself when Hiccup had muttered something. Jack believed he'd been across the room because his brain was still definitely influenced. But as Jack rolled to ask Hiccup what he'd said, he'd accidentally hit Hiccup in the head. Jack held his breath, hoping that Hiccup wouldn't wake. When he didn't Jack calmed back down and turned over, not thinking anything of it.

Jack grabbed his body wash off the shelf and began to pour some into his hands. He'd forgotten his pouf, so this would have to suffice. He paid little attention to his current situation as the memories flooded back to him. The water ran down his spine as he turned around to face the other wall. Hiccup had fallen asleep beside him. Jack didn't blame him. He knew he'd woken up Hiccup in the early morning hours to let him into the room. Bed sharing didn't bother Jack; he'd shared a bed with his little sister when their house was tight on space. At one point, his entire family shared one bed, so Jack had learned not to move much in his sleep. And yet, Hiccup clearly woke up before Jack and didn't seem anymore upset than his general demeanor let on. But there was something else. Something Jack wasn't quite remembering.

Hiccup had asked him to roll over, and Jack had done so. But then Hiccup had said something else. To Jack's drunken state, Hiccup could have said anything. Presently, Jack set his body wash back on the shelf and proceeded to dunk his head right under the shower's head, drenching his hair. _Hey...Jack?_ Hiccup's tired voice that floated in the darkened room of the night before echoed in the shower stall. _Could... could you roll closer?_ Closer? Was that what Hiccup had said? Jack hadn't been sure. But in that state, Jack hadn't been sure of anything. He had been otherwise preoccupied with virtually everything else in his life. All of the yelling he'd heard from his father, the tears he'd heard from his mother, and the questions he'd heard from his sister had roared in his head that night. It was part of the reason he'd started with that shot of vodka, but it was also part of the reason he'd woken up again. Still, Hiccup had said something. Jack must have obeyed and rolled over─ he tended to do whatever people say when he was drunk because he wanted to trust people. But without explicitly remembering, Jack had no proof. Besides, Hiccup talked in his sleep all the time, and that never annoyed Jack.

Jack thought little more of the occasion during his shower. After he was clean, he walked back to his dorm room at the other end of the hall, nodding to several ladies as he passed. He wasn't sure why he did; it was just something that he'd seen other men do. It didn't feel natural all the time, but Jack ignored that and walked onward. He knew that they were looking back at him, anyway, and it gave him a smirk.

* * *

Hiccup had talked Jack into going to lunch a little earlier because of a class that he would have soon after. Jack had readily agreed, much to Hiccup's relief. They were sitting at a tall table in the corner of the dining hall: a cherished spot of both of them. It was still early in the day, so lunch items were fresh but there were few people at the venue. It was calm and quiet, which Hiccup preferred. Jack, on the other hand, preferred the noise of busy people around him. It made him feel more connected, less alone.

Not that Jack was really alone. He had a few friends... Well, he had Hiccup and Hiccup's friends. Okay, he only had Hiccup. But on weekends, he was friends with everybody, and that helped. Usually, during the week, Hiccup's company was enough for Jack. He certainly talked enough for the both of them, especially if it was about something he really cared about. Just now, Hiccup was rambling on and on about his physics course this morning, a class that Jack cared little for, but Jack listened intently. He knew it felt great to be listened to, to be recognized by others. Even if Hiccup had more friends than he, Jack knew that Hiccup wanted people to listen to him as well. His friends were great, but they didn't listen to Hiccup very often. That's where Jack came in. It was a nice, clean dynamic. And whatever happened last night was a low point in that dynamic, as Jack convinced himself.

"─and so the calibration was all outta whack and I had to go and fix it before my group had to present, and _they_ didn't know what they were doing, so I─" Jack nodded, even if he didn't know what Hiccup was talking about "─ basically did the presentation all on my own. No thanks to the other three lab members."

"You should really stop being such a pushover," Jack commented jokingly, chewing on some pasta he'd picked up at the first counter. There wasn't much on the plate, but if Jack ate slowly enough, Hiccup wouldn't question the serving size that Jack had set for himself.

"I am not a pushover!" Hiccup aimed his fork at Jack, flicking his own pasta onto Jack's face.

Jack blinked as the piece of pasta rolled off his nose and fell onto the table space between them. He raised an eyebrow. "I think you should apologize," Jack said, testing him.

"Sorry, Jack! I-I didn't mean that─" Hiccup cut his words short when he saw that Jack was laughing. His head was thrown back and his chair was tilting on two legs. Hiccup's face heated, realizing that Jack had tricked him. Hiccup leaned back in his chair and tried to pull it off that he was cool and collected. "Oh, haha, really funny, Jack. You know, one of these days I'm going─ well, I'm not going to─ pushover anymore. How are you going to deal with me then?"

Jack finished his plate and took a long gulp of the milk he'd had in front of him. "I wouldn't. You'd be dead before you quit being nice to everyone you met," Jack took one last drink of his milk and set the empty cup down. "You got time for seconds? I could go for more food. I don't know if I ate dinner last night."

Hiccup wanted to roll his eyes so badly. But he realized that Jack obviously would have wanted to get seriously drunk last night if he hadn't eaten beforehand. Instead of asking about it, Hiccup began picking up his lunch stuff to make it easier to carry. "Sorry, bud. I've got a class to get to. I'll see you later─ oh, are you working today?"

Jack's face paled more than normal. "Uh, yeah, I've gotta fill an hour or two at the coffee shop downtown before class. Thanks for reminding me."

Hiccup laughed. "No problem. Just don't work yourself to death, alright? I don't need you messing up my bed again."

"Oh, please, you messed it up just as bad!" Jack pointed at Hiccup who was already trying to walk away.

Hiccup turned back to him and countered without thinking. "You were in the bed longer than I was!"

They both stared at each other for a moment. In that instant, they realized that the other knew they'd been in the same bed last night. They should have waved it off. They should have ignored it. It was a silly thing, really. It should mean nothing. Jack knew that Hiccup knew, since Hiccup woke up before Jack. And surely Hiccup could guess at what happened if they had woken up like─

Jack ignored his next train of thought and looked down. "Sorry," he muttered.

"No, it's..." Hiccup paused, conflicted and a little embarrassed, "it's fine. See ya."

"See ya," Jack muttered. But he didn't think it was fine, not one bit. What was that supposed to mean? Was what happened fine? Was stealing the bed fine? Was rolling on the bed and holding your roommate closer than most couples held each other fine? Even when drunk? Memories rattled around in Jack's skull and he didn't feel as hungry anymore. He pushed away his plate and ran a hand through his hair, wondering what he'd do next time he saw Hiccup.

* * *

 **A/N: As I said, this is my first crossover. The rest of my works are solely under _Rise of the Guardians_ , where I have three other ongoing series and a short or two. If you want to check any of them out, go to my profile! I really appreciate the support! Also, if you have any suggestions (drawings, writings, or otherwise), let me know! Always happy to take in requests! :)**


	2. Recurring Nightmares

**A/N: Hello lovelies! Thanks for all of the support so far! Hopefully more people will give it a chance. I'm** _ **supposed**_ **to be working on my other works, since those have closer self-imposed deadlines, but I just had to write more for this. I really like some of the ideas that I have!**

 **WARNING: Abuse. I guess I should have this warning in the overall summary of this work, but I didn't think about it before. This tag may appear in other chapters. It's not too descriptive, but better safe than sorry!**

 **Anyway, please read, review, and enjoy! :)**

* * *

 **Recurring Nightmares**

* * *

Jack closed the textbook with finality. The last history class had been on the colonial period in the United States and it was one of the few times Jack paid full attention in class. He liked history, but the period of exploration and finding new places intrigued him. It reminded him of his branching out into college for the sake of his family. Those people that sailed to America were doing so for their families as well, and Jack thought it was deeply admirable. That chapter was just the thing to keep him busy for the long Thursday afternoon, since the class had ended at 2:00pm and he had no other classes or jobs afterward. It was a beautiful, sunny autumn day outside and many other young adults were playing frisbee or skating around on their boards. Jack would rather wait until winter, but then less people would be outside. He didn't get it. Winter was wonderful and full of fun, but more people would rather be outside in weather warmer than room temperature. Oh well.

He'd spent the past few days reading and making notes for his tests, but just before he would finish them, thoughts of that Sunday night would creep into his mind again. Jack wasn't one for warm temperatures, but the warmth under those sheets had been welcoming. It was an oddly happy thought by nature, a dark and frightening thought if dwelled upon. Jack knew he had been too drunk to think straight, but he also knew that whatever thoughts or words that _had_ escaped were true. He would pause with his pencil raised to interrogate his brain for more information regarding that night, yet nothing more came. Racking his brain was not doing any good, but at least this time he finished his notes. Jack leaned back in his chair and clasped his arms behind his head, staring at the ceiling. Hiccup wouldn't be back for another hour or so, if Jack recalled his roommate's schedule correctly. It was hard not to know a roommate's schedule, especially when he woke up much earlier and left at very precise times each and every day. Nevertheless, Jack pondered how to spend his time.

Friends weren't exactly an option. Many of his real friends didn't go to the same college. He managed to Skype them every once in a while, but not as often as he'd liked. The only one he really talked to was Toothiana, one of the exchange students in his last year of high school. She'd been from Thailand even though her English was so perfect that Jack couldn't have guessed. Jack had dated her for a few months, but it never got very far. They both recognized that they were comfortable with friendship and broke it off the month before she returned home, just before graduation. Jack didn't have the heart to tell her the truth. Besides, Toothiana was amazing and Jack didn't regret it in the least. Then there was Aster, but their terms were shaky at best. The track star had warmed up to the scrawny new guy only toward the end of the year, considering Aster had been friends with Toothiana as well. Their trio was a higher point of Jack's life, and he believed he'd finally found his place. But then high school ended and they went their separate ways. Aster went to a school out East on a full sports scholarship and Toothiana was back at home, working in the dentistry field. And Jack, understanding that he had to go to college, registered himself at the local university.

It wasn't a bad place. The parties were great. And the time difference wasn't more than a few hours between himself and Toothiana, the only person he kept up with at least once a week. They'd been on Skype just last night, after dinner. It might have been the first time he'd made a genuine smile in days. There was always the courteous or the flirtatious smile, but Jack didn't usually count those. Toothiana, or Tooth as he'd affectionately nicknamed her, had a way of making him smile. She was always so giddy and happy and bubbly all the time, about everything. Nothing sad ever got through to that girl, and that's why Jack liked her so much. She had been chattering about her internship at a local dentist's office when Hiccup had walked in the door. She begged Jack to get Hiccup into view of the webcam. Hiccup obliged reluctantly and flashed a smile at her. Tooth's resulting meltdown was cute enough to earn a few giggles from Jack's roommate. The three of them talked for a few minutes and it made Jack feel better about his lack of social circle here.

 _She's cute, Jack,_ Hiccup had mentioned after Tooth left for the night (or for the day, according to her time zone). _Is she your girlfriend? You talk to her every week._

 _Not really, I mean, we dated once._ Jack didn't mind sharing that bit of information. He told Hiccup that they'd gone to high school together, but he did not mention it was only for the last year or that they had only really been friends for half of that year. The less depressing Jack's life sounded the better. Either way, Hiccup seemed to take the information well, maybe even took comfort in it.

But the conversation dwindled soon after and Hiccup began to work on his mechanical engineering project. It wasn't due until the end of the semester, but he claimed that he had to test it. It was far from being even remotely usable. Jack watched for a little bit, perching himself on Hiccup's bed like he usually did when they talked, but got the sense that Hiccup was looking for excuses. Jack was confused by this, seeing as he was usually the childish one living in this dorm room. Shrugging himself off the bed, Jack crawled into his own bed and turned over. Before doing so, however, he saw Hiccup glancing at the spot where Jack had been sitting. His gaze lingered longer than Jack thought was normal. He soon drifted off to sleep despite Hiccup's raucous attempts to get his machine to work.

Switching his thoughts to the present, Jack stood up from his desk. It was late Thursday afternoon. Tomorrow afternoon, he would get a call from his mother and he would talk to her and his sister as if nothing was wrong. His mother would pretend that she couldn't hear her ex-husband's voice residing within Jack's, pretend that Jack didn't leave for college because of his father, and pretend that Jack was a regular young adult making his way into the world. Jack would keep it to small talk until his sister got onto the phone, and then a smile would creep onto his face as she cried his name, asking when he would come home. After midterms, there was a small break that lasted around five days, and Jack fully intended to spend every one of them with his sister. She, like Jack, didn't have many friends. But Jack was sure that she was just being shy. Jack could always bring the talkativeness out of her and make her the more rambunctious little girl he'd known her to be before their father left. On the phone, he was sure they would talk about their plans for when he would return home. Jack would put on a brave face, even if she couldn't see it. She'd know if he wasn't; had a knack for that sort of thing. In all honestly, Jack looked forward to going home because of her, if for nothing else.

However, the phone call wasn't until tomorrow. Jack still had twenty-four hours to kill. Then he had another week, and he'd be home for a rest. It was then that Jack decided he wouldn't drink that weekend: he wanted to repair his connection to his roommate. They were friends, after all.

Jack insisted that the previous statement was true.

He had to fix it.

* * *

Hiccup was out with Astrid that day. They'd been dating for almost a year, having known each other since middle school. They'd gotten together soon after she helped Hiccup rescue a homeless cat, which he ironically named "Toothless," from a shelter that was going to euthanize him. Although those weren't the best of times that Hiccup wanted to recall, he knew they led up to what he had now. And yet, there wasn't too much to say about that, either. Astrid was the first girl he'd ever dated. She was sweet, but a little rough sometimes. Hiccup thought she'd been the best he could ever get, but that was before he got to college. Not that he was really looking around, but the interest had faded a bit. Nonetheless, he kept it up because he knew he could trust her with anything. She didn't exactly listen as well as Jack did, but when it came to sensitive issues, Astrid was the number-one go-to. Besides, the current issue involved Jack, and she was almost a neutral party.

"So," Hiccup chewed some food thoughtfully, "how was your day?" He'd already talked for over ten minutes about the horrible miscalculations he'd done when remaking a portion of his project, detailing over the smallest of numbers. Astrid pretended to listen at first, but her eyes floated back to her phone tapping and swiping her fingers with excessive speed. Hiccup's speech slowed considerably, although his mind was still thinking a thousand thoughts a second. Eventually, his words drawled and Astrid looked at him questioningly.

"You've been acting strange, Hiccup," Astrid narrowed her eyes at him. Hiccup realized he wasn't going to get away without telling her anything, so he waited until his food was swallowed before he continued.

"I─It's about Jack," Hiccup tapped his fingers on the table nervously, "he's been acting kinda strange recently, too." Or was it Hiccup that was acting strange? He'd already told himself it was no big deal. Even if it was, it wasn't like Hiccup was homophobic or anything. Not that Jack was homosexual, of course. Hiccup hadn't been trying to imply that in his mind at all. Jack was drunk and he'd been very, very sleepy. It was stupid to think so much about something so trivial.

"Really? Is it a roommate thing?" Astrid could only guess─ she lived in a single, without a roommate. Hiccup almost envied her, but there was still a part of him that liked having a roommate. And Jack wasn't a bad choice for a choice he didn't get to make. Hiccup still liked Jack, and he knew he had to watch over that boy, lest he wither away from not eating.

"That's the thing," Hiccup started, setting his fork down, "he'll drink on the weekends, but only on the weekends, and he still gets all his work done. Then, he comes home this Sunday night─ Monday morning, actually─ completely smashed and just crashes on _my_ bed. Then he uses _my_ mug for coffee the next morning and acts like nothing happened!" _And he snuggled right up to me in my sleep, but you know, that's normal,_ Hiccup added bitterly in his mind.

"And you just let him do that?" Astrid raised a brow. "Well, either way, if nothing happened, why does it matter?" Astrid leaned in close, the cogs in her mind turning faster. "Unless... something _did_ happen?"

"W-well─ I─ uh, you see, 'happen' is such a vague term, and─ I─" Hiccup was stuttering uncontrollably, and probably blushing furiously. How was Astrid so good at figuring him out? Well, never mind.

"I knew it! So what was it? Did he puke in your bed? Did he leave the bed smelling like alcohol? Did he," Astrid leaned in even closer and paused for dramatic effect, "steal your underwear?"

"Wh-what? No, nonono, nothing like that," Hiccup gulped, unsure how to proceed, "he, uh, just didn't say 'sorry' or anything. Yep, he just got up and went about his business and had a total lack of regard for anything his roommate owned." Hiccup started collecting his dishes and carried them over to the tray washing area.

Astrid ran with her empty plate to catch up to him. "Is that it? Hiccup, you can't be such a pushover. If he does something you don't like, just tell him that you don't like it! I'm sure it's all a big misunderstanding." She set her plate onto the tray and turned to him, a hand on her hip judgingly.

Hiccup rolled his eyes. "Wh-why does everybody think I'm a pushover?!" He asked indignantly. Astrid clearly agreed with Jack on that front. At the same time, Astrid had a good point. Even if Jack didn't mean to─ Hiccup faltered over the word─ cuddle him in his own bed that night, then simply mentioning it would resolve the issue, right? _Jack, I'd really appreciate it if you didn't drink on Sunday night and fall asleep in my bed, thank you very much._ There. It was easy. Simple. "Thanks, Astrid. I'll do that," Hiccup pulled at her waist and kissed her forehead, an automatic movement for him. "I'll see you tomorrow?"

Astrid smiled. "Sure. Text me when you know what's going on, why don't you?" She winked and walked away. Hiccup watched her figure as she walked out of the dining venue toward her side of campus.

Astrid was beautiful and understanding, but the spark was still fading.

* * *

When Hiccup walked in the door and dropped his bag as usual, he was surprised to notice that the lights were out and Jack's measured breaths could be heard from his side of the room. Hiccup dug out his phone and clicked a button so that the screen would light up. It would be enough to see where he was going, but not enough to wake Jack up. Showering various sections of the room with dim light, Hiccup realized that the entire room was clean; even Jack's tornado zone was spotless. Careful to keep the cell phone's beam away from directly hitting Jack's form, Hiccup peered over to see that his roommate was sprawled over the top of the bed in nothing but boxers. _At least he's always worn those_. Jack's face was twisted in pain, and for a second Hiccup thought it was his fault. Upon closer inspection, Jack's expression didn't change. It only got worse. The boy began to whimper and he wriggled uncomfortably. Hiccup had never seen his roommate act like this in his sleep. The boy rarely ever moved in his sleep. Worried, Hiccup pushed Jack's shoulder, aiming to wake him up. When that didn't work and Jack was still excruciatingly flailing, Hiccup grabbed a hold of the boy's tiny wrists and grounded them by Jack's waist.

"Jack? Jack, wake up!" Hiccup was struggling to keep Jack from injuring himself in such a position. "JACK!"

"GET AWA─!" Jack shot straight up and clonked his forehead into Hiccup's, quickly earning a grunt from both parties. Jack felt weights lift from his wrists as Hiccup grasped his head and groaned. Jack held his own head, already feeling a bump beginning to form on one of his temples. He bit his tongue to stop himself from swearing profusely. "Hiccup? You okay?"

Hiccup, with his cell phone's light glowing on his grimaced face, glared at his roommate. He shook his head as he spun around to turn on the light. It hadn't been pitch black in the room yet, but the light helped. "What about you? Were you having a nightmare?"

Jack stared blankly. He couldn't tell Hiccup about this one. "No. I just figured I'd clean up and go to bed. I didn't have any more work."

"You sure?" Hiccup walked over to his dresser and started pawing through the articles. "You were thrashing around and everything. Also, it's only like, eight o'clock. What time did you drift off?" Hiccup picked up a small canvas bag with a white cross stitched on it and began unzipping it.

"An hour, maybe?" Jack relaxed his shoulders. "Sorry. I'll watch where I'm going next time," Jack cracked a smirk that Hiccup returned. Jack saw that Hiccup had taken out a few pills and popped them in his mouth, only to find that his water bottle was empty.

"Seriously?" Hiccup said, the pills beginning to taste bitter on his tongue.

Jack winced. "Oops. I forgot to tell you that the coffee from Monday was made with your water. You almost never use that thing, anyway." He really needed to stop using Hiccup's stuff.

Hiccup made a hopeless gesture paired with an equally hopeless groan and walked out the door with his water bottle in tow. Jack laughed, knowing that Hiccup wasn't actually angry. Still, Jack felt bad for using all of Hiccup's things. In honesty, Jack didn't have much to boast as his own in the room. Jack's bed had a meager pillow and one thin, barely-even-blue-anymore blanket. His desk had his sister's latest school portrait, a few pencils, and his books (most of which were riddled with holes and loose stitching, papers falling out, and other such decrepit depictions). Then his dresser kept maybe four complete outfits, if Jack tried really hard to make sure nothing was worn twice in a row. His sweatshirt was an exception, but it was still dirty from Sunday. Jack couldn't afford to do laundry more than twice a month, and he'd just completed a load that previous Saturday. He didn't want to ask Hiccup if he could toss it in with his stuff, since that felt like adding insult to injury, but it was awfully smelly. Jack's bookshelf was empty a lot of the times because he kept his textbooks close at hand. Jack also had an old, leather-bound journal tucked underneath his mattress. Other than that, Jack couldn't say he owned a whole lot. But it was enough, and it was his own. Jack was thankful for that.

Hiccup came back and tossed the full water bottle at Jack and then held out his hand. Jack caught the water bottle but gave a perplexed look to his roommate. Hiccup sighed and took Jack's hand, opening his palm. Hiccup's fingers were strong and sturdy, the product of all his strange inventions, but they weren't rough. As hot as a campfire, Jack was disappointed when the heat disappeared and left two tablets in his hand. The touch reminded him of Sunday night, however, and Jack quickly downed the two pills. "I wasn't going to get a headache, but thanks," Jack threw the water bottle onto Hiccup's pillow and began to pull his blanket back over him.

"Then why'd you take them?" Hiccup grabbed the water bottle off his bed and unscrewed the cap, bringing the bottle to his lips to allow Jack time to answer his question. Hiccup then remembered that the bottle had been in contact with Jack's lips and, even though Hiccup wouldn't ordinarily care, he wiped the rim discreetly.

"I was hoping they'd put me to sleep," Jack shrugged, "I've got my early class tomorrow."

"I don't think ibuprofen has an agent to make people drowsy..." Hiccup pondered the thought momentarily. "Well, thanks for cleaning the room, bud. You didn't have to." Hiccup had a sense of guilt tingle its way through his skin. He tried to disregard it. Jack did it as a thank-you. Or an apology. Either one was fine, since Hiccup didn't expect Jack to ever do anything related to housekeeping. "I-I won't keep you. I've gotta work a little longer, though. You want me to leave and work somewhere else?"

Jack laughed. "Please, I've slept through you catapulting staplers through the ceiling, the door, _and_ the windows. Both of them. I think I'll be alright. You get to clean up those messes, anyway."

Hiccup returned the laughter. "Alright, bud. Night." He looked like he wanted to say more, and his glance at Jack lasted a few seconds, but he shook it off and went to work.

"Night," Jack whispered as he rolled over to face the wall, away from Hiccup. But in reality, Jack wasn't getting to sleep anytime soon, so Hiccup's working wasn't really a problem. The real problem was Jack's dream. His father had been there, and he had been angry. It was so convincing, so life-like, that Jack couldn't help but fall gullibly into the dream's grasp. Jack had been walking home, from the store or whatever. That detail didn't matter. What mattered was the rough and calloused hand gripping his forearm so tightly Jack thought it would fall off. His father spun him around and shoved his face into the pavement. _Don't you dare go near 'em, I'll kill you next time._ Jack tried to tell him that he hadn't done anything, but his lips felt sewn shut. _You try'n convert 'em to your ways, and I'll kill you next time_. He pushed and kicked, but his father only repeated the blows and returned him to the sidewalk. His father's voice was angry and stank so bad Jack swore he could still smell the staleness in his conscious state. _You disgrace me! I didn't raise you like this! I'll kill you next time._ Jack wanted desperately to yell, to fight back, but the dream wouldn't let him. He was pinned. Even now, twiddling his fingers and listening to Hiccup swear at his machinery, Jack felt pinned. He should feel free. But he wasn't.

* * *

Fridays were the only days when Hiccup got to sleep in longer than Jack, and he cherished every moment he could get out of it. Hiccup's only class of the day wasn't until noon and only lasted for an hour. Jack had two classes: one at nine and another at eleven. Then he worked from one until eight. Hiccup had it gleefully memorized. Cranking his neck to view his alarm clock upside down, Hiccup saw that it was nearly 10:30am and he'd just woken up. Jack had always been really quiet in the mornings, a habit both of them had picked up early on out of courtesy. Hiccup got out of bed groggily and filled the coffeemaker. No sense in going to the dining hall before his class; he'd snack on something before and eat a fuller meal later. Thinking on the schedule, Hiccup realized that he said he'd hang out with Astrid. Taking out his phone, he texted her. He didn't know if she was still sleeping, in class, or free, but he knew she would get the message. They needed to put in some gym time together. Hiccup hadn't gone for a little while and was becoming more self-conscious again. Plus, working out with Astrid was a little humiliating. Sure, he was stronger, but Astrid was pretty strong herself and constantly tried to show herself up. It was stupid of him to care so much, but that didn't change the fact that he did, in fact, care. The coffeemaker beeped as he tossed his phone onto his still-messy bed. After about fifteen minutes of silent coffee-sipping, Astrid texted back in the affirmative. Hiccup didn't bother to answer her until he decided on a time to head out.

Reflecting on the action, Hiccup realized he texted Jack much more often than he texted Astrid. In general, Jack had far more interesting texts. He always kept the conversation going with weird and random twists that gave Hiccup a goofy smirk. Occasionally, Jack would text him while they were in the same room. Hiccup would glare at him playfully and Jack would poke and prod Hiccup for something to do. Despite having two jobs and a fair load of coursework, Jack seemed to have more free time than Hiccup did, which said something considering his degree choice. Regardless, they hung out quite often. Jack was hilarious, fun, and he always had new ideas. There had never really been a dull moment with the guy, Hiccup came to the conclusion. Even when they'd been drinking, the events were entertaining and their friendship only grew.

But perhaps it grew a little too fast. Hiccup thought back to Sunday, regretfully, and wondered if Jack would do the same thing this weekend. It was the weekend before midterms and mid break, so Hiccup hoped that Jack had enough sense in him to curb the drinking habit at least once. And if nothing happened, then Hiccup could conclude that the incident had been entirely coincidental. There wasn't anything like that between Jack and him. They were just great friends that were roommates. Why was his mind trying to complicate things?

Hiccup shrugged the thought off and glanced around the room without much purpose. His eyes landed on a brown-looking thing jutting out from under Jack's mattress. Thinking it was a tag, Hiccup walked over and tried to tuck it back into place. Jack had worked hard to clean the room, Hiccup realized that much, and he wanted to make Jack think he hadn't missed a spot. But upon attempting to push it back under, the boy surmised that it wasn't a tag but a book. Biting his lip and darting his eyes around the room, Hiccup lifted the mattress and picked up the book. He held it in his hands for a few moments, debating on what to do with it. He'd never believed Jack to be the diary-keeping type. Leafing through a few pages, Hiccup glimpsed a few angrily bolded words and a few doodles. He couldn't look anymore. It was wrong. He placed the journal back under the mattress and went back to his side of the room, busying himself with making his bed.

But the journal's presence nagged at him. Hiccup slowed his cleaning speed and cautiously glanced back toward Jack's bed. Had he written about Sunday in there? If so, what did he say? Hiccup gulped and in a surge of determinism he set back to making his bed. The journal wasn't his to look at. It wasn't his to be aware of existing. It would be more than rude if he invaded Jack's privacy. But then again... Jack had invaded his, hadn't he? Hiccup argued back and forth with himself and finally decided to rush over and grab the book, sitting on Jack's bed as he became enthralled with the writing.

The first entry's date was from Jack's tenth birthday. It surprised Hiccup that Jack had kept a journal for almost ten years and never ran out of pages. Thumbing through and glancing at the dates, Hiccup saw that they danced around, creating holes in the story of Jack's life. Most notably, there was a large gap between the start of the previous summer before the semester and now. There were entries littered about the beginning of the semester and it appeared to be that Jack was writing in this every day since college started. How did Jack find the time and privacy to write in this thing so much? If this were a regular book, Hiccup would have read it from start to finish, but his eyes fixed upon the last entry before the summer gap.

 _June 10_

 _Looks like I'll be graduating without Tooth. I miss her already, but not quite in the way I thought I would. I don't know if I'd mentioned in other entries, but we dated. I felt really weird about it. Tooth is really cute and adorable and everything, but I just don't feel it._

There was a doodle of Jack and who Hiccup assumed to be Tooth making silly faces. The portrait wasn't badly drawn, Hiccup had to admit. He didn't know Jack had artistic talent like this, and Jack had even praised Hiccup's drawings before. The boy never once mentioned that he drew, too. Hiccup was disappointed, but he wasn't sure if he could ask Jack to see some drawings out of the blue. He'd have to figure out a way sometime.

 _On a similar note, I saw my father at the store the other day, much to my disgust. He said he'd show up at graduation. I don't know why he'd want to see such a disgraceful son as myself. Maybe he just wants to remind me that I'll never make it anywhere. Or that I'm not really a person. Not really human. I don't miss hearing those words, but I know there's not really a way I can avoid them if he shows up. He might have a change of heart, though I doubt it. I'll just hope that he leaves my mother and sister out of it. He chose to leave the family for a reason, and I'm not about to let him go crawling back to my mother. I know she would take him back in a heartbeat; our family hasn't done well since he left. I've worked as hard as I could at the diner and the hardware store, but I know it hasn't been enough. I just want to protect my sister. Maybe I'll get an apartment with new friends in college and I can move her in with me. I'd move my mother in, too, but I don't know how she'd react or manage such a change. My family's always was the more traditional type. Anyway, we'll see what happens._

Hiccup wondered what occurred, because it was clearly big enough for Jack not to write in three months. The next entry was from the first night at college.

 _September 2_

 _First day here at the university! I don't know how I got in here, honestly, but I did. I'm going to make it. For my sister. She deserves a better life. I don't care if my father says I can't, because I will. A few scrapes doesn't prove anything other than my perseverance._

 _My roommate's name is Hiccup. Strange name, I know, but it's growing on me. Looks a lot like me, too, except he's got the greenest eyes I've ever seen. Is that a weird thing to notice? Well, I'll be living with him all year, so I'm sure there are going to be weirder things to notice. I think I'm taller, but he begs to differ. I think it's his hair. He seems really nice and I think we get along great. Just don't do anything stupid, Jack._

 _P.S. - I'm really writing this the morning after with a hangover because I got drunk last night. First college party! I feel more accepted here than at home. Perhaps I don't really have that much to worry about._

Hiccup smirked at his description. It was _not_ his hair. He was definitely taller by two inches. They'd marked the door frame like a pair of excited siblings just to test it. Hiccup remembered that first day fondly. Jack was awesome and they really had gotten along great. They still did, all things considered. Hiccup shook his head. There was nothing wrong between them. It was just another example of how different their lives were from each other. Reading some of the other pages, Hiccup got the impression that Jack's family was below the poverty level. Hiccup almost felt guilty for his position, being the son of a wealthy businessman. He didn't have any control over who he was born to, but Hiccup didn't exactly like it either. His father had been disappointed by Hiccup's enthusiasm with building machinery instead of selling it, but the argument had been settled awhile ago. Regardless, Hiccup felt responsible for Jack's circumstances, even if there was nothing he had done or could do about it.

The last journal entry caught Hiccup's eye.

 _October 12_

 _The first school break starts next weekend. I can't wait to go home. My mother and sister miss me. So I'm not drinking this weekend, which is a first. What's wrong with me? I didn't want to drink that much. Thankfully I do my work. I'm too stubborn not to. Still, drinking on a Sunday had been a mistake._

 _I know, I've repeated this in every entry this week, but it still bugs me. I wasn't expecting my father to have my cell number. He said he wanted to see me on break. See how I was doing, you know? What a load of─ Anyway. I hope he doesn't know where I'm living. He obviously knows I'm at the university, but there are at least seven freshman dorms on campus. What are the chances he'd be able to find me?_

 _I guess that's not the only thing that bugs me. Hiccup's guard has been up since then, too. We both know what happened, that much is clear. But I don't think he knows he talked in his sleep. And when I get drunk, I listen. It's just what I do. He told me to come closer, and I did. I didn't plan on doing anything─ I was so drunk I couldn't have even if I tried. If Hiccup's that scared, I worry I won't have a roommate for much longer. You know how they say that when you're drunk, you tell more truth than lies? Well, I'll leave it at that for now._

Hiccup closed the book without looking up. He'd learned more than he wanted and he didn't know what to do with the information. He talked in his sleep, sure, but he asked Jack to come closer? What was his sleeping self thinking? And Jack wasn't going to drink this weekend, it seemed. Hiccup was glad that Jack was at least trying to look out for himself. But what alerted Hiccup, possibly even more than his supposed sleep-talking, were the sections about Jack's father. He was painted to look like the abusive type, but Hiccup had his doubts. Surely that stuff didn't actually happen. Someone would have called social services, right? Something wasn't making sense in this story.

Putting the book back underneath the mattress one last time, Hiccup saw that the alarm clock read 11:40am. His class was all the way across campus. Scrambling to gather his stuff and head out the door, Hiccup already knew he was going to be late.

* * *

 **A/N: Just as a by the way, I have no idea what year this should take place so just consider it as "modern." I also have no idea if these dates make sense, I was just going off my college schedule. Also, sorry if you think the chapter's too long. I may have gotten carried away. Next chapter is much more hilarious.**

 **Anyway, I don't like to litter my works with a bunch of Author's Notes, I can't help myself. Shameless! I feel silly doing this but writing individual PM's are rather annoying. Unless you guys find the replies within the story annoying, in which case I'll stop.**

 **faisyah865: Thanks! I'm glad you like it so much! I don't normally update any faster than once a week for other stories, but this one might be an exception if I don't get a sudden case of writer's block.**

 **The boy katniss (guest): Does this chapter count as more? ;)**


	3. Rubik's Cube

**A/N: Hello my lovely readers! I'm sorry this hasn't had an update in awhile (many of my works haven't had updates). I've had a hard time finding the motivation to write. It's not writer's block; I just haven't felt like writing. I'd rather be in the mood to write and write something well than write for some deadline and update a crappy chapter. However, I updated the cover to this story with my own drawing and you can find the full thing in a link on my profile, as well as other works (drawing/writing).**

 **WARNING: Hints of abuse.**

 **Please read, review, and enjoy! :)**

* * *

 **Rubik's Cube**

* * *

Jack stuffed the small notepad and pen into the front of his apron and smiled at the young couple. It was his last table of the night, the clock reading 7:50pm. Careful not to let the customers see his yawn, Jack knelt over the computer at the counter and started punching in the order. Two coffees; one black and one with cream and sugar. The total was going to come out to be $5.37, which Jack knew off the top of his head. He'd worked at the small diner, called the North Pole, since the beginning of college. It hadn't been that long, but every minute in this place felt like eternity. It wasn't that the place was boring. It was that Jack was bored. He'd go to the back where the bathrooms were and switch out soap with bubble mix he'd forgotten to give to his sister before he left. It wasn't a huge setback for the place, but it earned some delightful laughter. He'd buy his sister another pack of bubbles with his next paycheck before he went home, anyway. The manager, despite wearing a scowl when he was the fool of Jack's pranks, was glad that the boy had found a way to keep his time occupied. Mr. North, or just North as Jack would often say, had hired him knowing the poor background. The poorest workers were often the hardest workers, and North paid him well, accordingly. Besides, the pranks were harmless and he never committed them in front of the customers.

Well, until today.

Jack was taking a wet washcloth to the table where the young couple had been a few minutes ago when the door chime sounded off. Glancing at the clock, Jack frowned. It was ten minutes past closing time and North didn't like to cater late. The man a small side business with homemade knick-knacks, toys, clocks, and other such things and he worked on those after the diner closed. Any customers coming in after the fact would simply have to be disappointed. He'd already turned off the coffee machines and left, leaving Jack to close up alone. The man trusted him not to mess up like the previous waiter Phil. Jack knew the guy and smirked. He'd been the reason Jack had gotten the job. Phil knew Jack was persistent. Jack finished wiping the table and tossed the cloth back in the bucket resting on another table.

"I'm sorry," Jack started, "we're close─"

"You don't look like you're closed," a teenager cut him off. Jack looked up to see it was a group of guys, all in their high school years. There was what looked to be a set of dark skinned twins. One blond boy was behind them and appeared perpetually nervous. The one who was speaking had parted brown hair and a chipped tooth. He sneered, "all the lights are on and you've still got an apron. We'll all take a coffee."

"Decaf for me, please," the blond one stuttered quietly.

Jack felt a little bit of pity for the blond one, but that didn't matter. "We're cleaning up and closing for the night. Store hours ended ten minutes ago," he picked up the cleaning solution bucket and headed back to the register.

"But isn't the customer always right?" The boy led his sheep up to the counter and he leaned on his elbow.

That line. Jack hated that line. It always appeared whenever it'd be more convenient for them. That's how business went. It was supposed to be for the customers. Normally, Jack would have done his job anyway. But this boy's rudeness and that damned line had changed his mind. He decided to have a little fun with them instead. "So, that's four coffees?" Jack tapped his fingers on the computer keys, punching in the order. Taking an extra measure to make a good joke with North the next day, Jack added a few packets of salt to the order's receipt. He had more in mind, but nothing that could be added to the computer software.

"One's decaf," the blond boy muttered.

Jack flicked his eyes up to each of the boy's in turn. The main boy was definitely getting Jack's Special Coffee Blend, but what about the others? The blond boy was definitely not on Jack's little hit list. The twins didn't look particularly mean, but they were bystanders. Pursing his lips and turning on the closest few coffee machines, he decided just the main guy would be enough. Or he could do it to all of theirs and claim the batch was bad? Pausing at the prospect, Jack's lips formed a devilish grin. That'd be better. Way to think on your feet, Jack.

"$11.04, please," Jack took the kids' money and almost felt guilty for what he was about to do. Almost. "I've got to go in the back for the blends," Jack waved as he disappeared behind the double doors that led to the kitchen. Once out of their view, Jack walked over to the flour North kept for the pastries and cookies and tossed some into a near empty package of coffee blend. Then he reached up to the highest shelf to grab some salt─ a rarely used but common staple─ and poured a fair amount into his new blend. Shaking the package for good measure, he passed back through the double doors with a cheerful smile. "Won't be too long now!"

Jack put the blend into the machines and set to cleaning the rest of the place while the boys waited. He'd cleaned up the rest of the tables when the coffee was done and poured into the glass container. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the same guy trying to go behind the counter to grab the coffee. Jack pretended not to notice and barged past the boy with the bucket up near his face.

"Hey!" the boy barked.

"Sorry, didn't see you!" Jack was enjoying this. Oh, but the real fun was about to start. He set the bucket in the small sink underneath the countertop and turned off the coffee machines. Grabbing four inconspicuously dirty mugs, he put them down across from the boys and took the hot coffee pot out of the machine. Jack smiled at them while he poured each cup, pretending to grab a different coffee pot for the decaf. Jack felt a little bad about the last boy, but he figured it wouldn't be taken to heart. It wasn't as if they knew him or would really see him again. College and high school were two very different places. After they were all poured, Jack expertly glided each cup in front of their prospective customers.

"Take as long as you need!" Jack gripped the bucket's handle and brought it into the back to dump the contents in the larger sink. Setting it on the counter, Jack tiptoed back to the double doors and waited. Silence. Then there was coughing and sputtering and shouts. Jack could hardly contain his laughter. He fell to the ground behind the doors and held his mouth tightly, his eyes shut tight.

"What is this?!" the boy yelled into the back. There was no fooling this kid.

Jack stood up and popped his head through one of the doors. "That's the After Closing Coffee Blend. You like it?"

"I want to speak to your manager!" The boy walked up to him, ignoring the _Employees Only_ sign before the counter.

Jack winced. "Oops. Can't help you there. I'm the only one that works here."

"You're telling me _you're_ the manager?" The boy raised an eyebrow.

Jack shrugged in exaggeration. "You tell me." A smirk was tickling his lips, but he had to hold it in for a little while longer.

The boy was fuming. But the twins came up to him and held his shoulders. It was no use arguing with the guy, they said. It was best that they just leave. On their way out, Jack heard the blond boy tell them that he was right; they shouldn't have gone into the place after closing time. As the door chimed one last time, Jack lost it. He was on the floor holding his stomach and laughing uncontrollably. Coffee, flour, and salt. He'd have to keep that in the back of his mind for the really rude customers. Wiping a tear from his eye, Jack stood back up and took their cups filled with the disgusting liquid. He cleaned them and changed out of his waiter's uniform in the back.

There was a spot with several lockers where other employees would change, too, if there were any. Jack knew that North had other people working for him, but he didn't like to have more than one working at the same time. It was a fairly small diner and it couldn't handle so many people in the backroom, let alone out on the floor. Jack didn't mind. He could get away with more stuff on account that he'd be the only one doing so much stuff at once and was bound to mess up. North knew otherwise, but he didn't let on. It was an unspoken agreement between the two that kept that place lively while Jack worked. Opening up his small locker, Jack started stripping. His black slacks were tossed into the locker lazily and his pristine white button-up was replaced with his twice-stitched dirty white long sleeve. Pulling up his brown pants, Jack realized it had been the second day in a row that he'd worn these. Well, he didn't have classes with any of the same people that day and work had taken up a good portion of his time, so it had probably gone unnoticed. Perhaps even Hiccup didn't notice.

Jack had his hand on the locker when the thought of Hiccup came to light. Something never quite felt the same between them with recent events. Jack wanted to believe that it had been a mistake. That he hadn't wanted to hold Hiccup in his bed in the early morning hours. That Hiccup had been talking nonsense in his sleep. The last part was probably true. But for some reason, Jack couldn't shake the feeling that it had surfaced. _I told myself not to go after roommates, no matter what._ Jack didn't want to admit it even to himself. There was something about Hiccup that Jack found endearing. The boy looked out for him, especially when Jack was sure he'd hidden himself well. There had to be something there. But maybe Hiccup was just a nice guy. _He has a girlfriend! They've been dating for a year. You've even met her! Come on, Jack, move on_.

But he couldn't.

Even after he'd gotten back to the empty dorm room that night and set his bag beside his bed, Jack couldn't move on. Even after trying to convince himself otherwise for what seemed like ages, he couldn't move on. Even when there was a knock at the door, he still couldn't move on.

Jack, who had fallen into bed, groaned in frustration. Was Hiccup back from his "date" with Astrid already? But if that were the case, he'd have just used his keycard. And Hiccup never forgot his keycard. Jack pushed himself off the bed and stretched on his way to the door. Too tired to peer through the door's peephole, Jack opened the door and was thoroughly surprised.

* * *

Hiccup and Astrid were on their way back from the gym. It had been leg day. They were still laughing about the idiotic reactions they'd seen on others' faces when Hiccup had taken off his prosthetic leg. He'd been working on some machine when someone commented about Hiccup's improper posture. The guy had tried to help, despite Hiccup's warnings, and popped the leg right off. The boy screamed something close to bloody murder and ran away, tossing the leg over the railing and down to the court floor below. Hiccup winced as several other shouts were heard echoing a floor down. Astrid, still in tears of laughter, ran down the stairs to reclaim Hiccup's prosthetic. Meanwhile, Hiccup was left to work the machine with one full leg and a stump that stopped just below his knee. He was blushing moderately. It wasn't something he liked to talk about or show to people─ hence the reason he'd kept his sweatpants on─ and the eyes full of pity bore down on him. Of course, it all became a joking matter as soon as they were out of the place.

"Did you see the look on that guy's _face_?" Astrid burst into another round of laughter. Apparently the scene would be funny for a long time. He'd probably hear about it from the twins on Monday.

"As opposed to what? The look on his feet?" Hiccup joked sourly. He hadn't adjusted the prosthetic properly in his rush to leave the gym and it wobbled with every step that he took. Although many people would give him credit. It never appeared like he had a prosthetic. He didn't have any difference in gait and it the metal didn't sound off with every step. Hiccup was sort of proud about that; he'd made it himself. This piece of handiwork decided his major immediately. He'd dabbled in building mechanical inventions for awhile, but this boosted his confidence, oddly enough. His father's friend had shown him a prototype and Hiccup took off with it, improving it and formatting it for himself. It was the first time his dad had seen his son smile since the accident.

"Oh, Hiccup," Astrid scooped her arm around him. "You just gotta laugh it off. It's no big deal or anything. You should have more fun." Seeing that the expression on Hiccup's face hadn't changed, Astrid came up with an idea. "I know what'll cheer you up! You wanna spend the night tonight?" Astrid pulled him a little closer.

Hiccup felt her body against him and debated her offer for a moment. But something felt off tonight. It might have been his leg, but there was something nagging at him to get back to his room. Besides, it would be the first weekend that Jack was staying in rather than partying and Hiccup wanted to spend some time with him. Why was that his deciding factor in leaving Astrid at her dorm? It wasn't that he didn't like spending _that_ kind of time with Astrid, but it was growing into something similar to that. And Astrid wasn't boring─ far from that, actually─ or not enough. Hiccup was comfortable with Astrid. He thought that would be enough. But no heat seeped into his system in that moment and he wasn't quite sure why.

"Sorry, Astrid," Hiccup leaned out of her grip, "I think I'm just gunna head home tonight. Leg day was rough. I'm beat!" Hiccup shrugged, praying to the gods that she'd understand what needed to be understood and nothing more. "But I'll catch up with you tomorrow, okay?"

Astrid's eyes held their stare on him for a few seconds longer than necessary. "You sure, Hiccup?"

"Oh, yeah," Hiccup already had his hand behind his head, "and─ and Jack's not going out this weekend so I figured I'd hang out with him a little, you know?" That's right. That didn't sound so terrible, did it?

"Okay," Astrid's voice trailed off, but she recovered quickly, "I'll text you tomorrow. Night, Hiccup."

"Night, Astrid," Hiccup walked back up to her and brushed her cheek with his lips in an attempt to apologize. She smiled up at him briefly and then left his side to walk into her dorm without looking back. Hiccup's smile faded as she left and he began meandering his way back to the dorm.

It was almost 9:00pm and the sun had already set, all color drained from the sky except the darkest of blues and purples. The streetlights and sidewalk lamps were lit at their brightest, cascading multiple shadows thinning out and thickening again with each step. The night was warm, but Hiccup's black windbreaker couldn't stop him from shivering. The way that she'd looked at him after he declined had been sad and Hiccup felt like there was something left unsaid. He walked past the commons square, a large landscape with a center fountain and billions of benches, when his prosthetic's straps snapped and he fell embarrassingly onto the sidewalk. Grunting from the force, Hiccup picked himself up and sat at one of the benches. His back was to the fountain, which was turned off after eight. He could hear the water lapping against the concrete sides although the droplets had stopped falling an hour ago. There was recessed lighting in the sides, casting loose, choppy, watery light on everything within a ten foot radius. Normally, Hiccup found this place peaceful and beautiful. He'd brought Astrid here a few times after dark, providing no other couples were around. It was a common place for trysts, but the romanticism remained. Right now, however, Hiccup was concerned with putting his leg back on properly. _Stupid leg_.

If there was a couple there, he didn't notice. But current emotions tugged at his fingers, causing the repair of his leg to become nearly impossible. He should have wanted to go with Astrid. He should have wanted to spend the night with her. He'd done so plenty of times. He wouldn't say he was amazingly experienced, but he wasn't shy about it. Hiccup stared at the contraption in front of him, piecing together what was making his leg wobble. Had a piece broken off after being tossed over the balcony? It sounded like a prank Jack would pull, except he'd have hidden the piece until Hiccup got unbearably annoyed and then given it back. But this wasn't Jack's fault. He hadn't been there. Had he really been present, the whole experience would have been much more fun. _You should have more fun_ , Astrid's voice echoed in his mind. His leg snapped out of place again. Hiccup, frustrated with his inability to think through either problem, tossed his leg across the fountain and pounded his fist into the wooden bench. He heard some part of the wood crack and the thump of his leg hitting grass on the other side of the fountain as he gritted his teeth. He took a moment to collect himself before hopping around the perimeter of the fountain to retrieve his prosthetic. Much to his surprise, there was a couple staring wide-eyed at the appendage that flew in front of their faces. Hiccup blushed as he picked it up and muttered an apology and hobbled away. He could always be the butt of someone else's jokes.

Not caring that he was a pitiful sight, Hiccup made it to his dorm after the slightly longer trip. He sat on the steps and shoved his stump of a left leg into the prosthetic and tied into place as best he could until he could get to his room. If Jack wanted to hang out, that's what he was getting. Perhaps he could cheer Hiccup. The proposition halted his progress. Could Jack really cheer him up better than his own girlfriend? Hiccup shook his head and walked up the stairs awkwardly before sliding his key into the door to the building. He decided to take the elevator just this once. Ordinarily, Hiccup refused to be seen as a handicapped individual, although the handicapped dorm room was a nice benefit. He was even allowed a roommate since he was able to convince the board that his injury wasn't that significant. Of course, that didn't stop him from using the leg as a silly excuse every now and again.

Hiccup hobbled out of the elevator. Thankfully, their room was directly across from the elevator. He was about to slide his keycard into the slot when he heard yelling coming from inside. Was Jack on the phone with his father again? That didn't sound right. Jack wasn't the type of person to yell. And come to think of it, there were two voices that could be heard. His stomach dropping, Hiccup punched in his code and opened the door quietly.

"─and you think you can just come back like that! You haven't changed!" A tall man's burly voice sounded off the walls. Hiccup was surprised that the RA hadn't come knocking on their door yet with a noise complaint. The first thing Hiccup saw was Jack, leaning his back against his bed defensively, eyes wide in fear. Before Hiccup could be sure, Jack wiped his sleeve across his mouth, removing something red from his lips.

"There's nothing to change!" Jack's voice was small but firm. Hiccup opened the door further and saw a rather large man's back. This man had dark black hair, unlike Jack's, that was relatively short but wild all the same. He had the same pale skin as Jack's though, and wore the blackest jacket Hiccup had ever seen. He was immediately intimidating and Hiccup couldn't help but wonder...

"Um, Jack?" Hiccup spoke low, nonetheless making himself known to both parties. They turned to look at him in synchrony, which was vaguely terrifying. Jack's eyes reflected a little recognition and a lot of fear. His fingers were gripping his sheets reflexively and showed no signs of relaxing. Hiccup had never seen Jack like this. The man, on the other hand, glared maliciously at Hiccup. "Who's the visitor? We're not supposed to have visitors past nine," Hiccup swallowed the rest of his words.

"And who's this, Jack?" The man sneered at Hiccup, not looking back at the frightened boy. "Is he your b─"

"Roommate!" Jack barged in front of him, blocking Hiccup. Although Jack was the shortest in this situation, Hiccup felt so much smaller. It probably didn't help that his leg wasn't entirely functional. Still, he could use it as a weapon if it came down to it. Hiccup wouldn't let this man do anything harmful to anyone. Jack's body almost pressed Hiccup into the door, closed from the outburst. The smaller boy's shoulders were quivering imperceptibly and Hiccup didn't think it went unnoticed. The man's lip twitched with amusement. Hiccup grabbed Jack's shoulders and pushed him to the side─ carefully─ and stood in front of the man.

"I think you should leave," he stated simply, unafraid to stare this man down.

Then the man shrugged. "Fine," he appeared unaffected. "I'll just see him when he comes home. Nice catching up with you, Jack," the man opened the door and paused, waiting for a response. Hiccup wasn't expecting Jack to answer, but a single word found its way to Hiccup's ears as Jack stepped forward.

"Dad," Jack's goodbye was curt.

The door closed and Hiccup didn't dare move until he had processed the information. Jack walked away like nothing happened and sat at his desk. He pulled open a drawer and took out a Rubik's cube that he'd been working on since the beginning of the semester. It was a going away present his sister had given him, he said. She told him that he had to complete it by the time break came around. And he was working on it now?

"What─ what are you doing?" Hiccup turned around. "You're not going to tell me what just happened?"

"Nothing about it concerns you," Jack raked a hand through his hair, his eyes never leaving the cube. It was all he could do to keep from opening his fridge and taking out the flask he'd hidden last week. It was all he could do to stop himself from going back on his word. His father would not get the better of him like that again. He'd solve the cube for his sister like he said he would. Then he would see her and his mother _only_ during break and everything would be fine.

"Are you serious, Jack? Your father was in here yelling at you and you don't even bother to acknowledge that he was even here?"

"I said it doesn't concern you," Jack insisted, gripping the Rubik's cube tighter. Hiccup noticed the terseness in Jack's voice and realized he was on the edge of breaking. After what Hiccup read in Jack's journal, he was afraid that if he hadn't come back sooner that whatever argument had occurred would have escalated. As it was, he swore he saw a small smear of blood on Jack's shirt. Not that it was his place to act, but if Hiccup had witnessed Jack getting hit, that man wouldn't be coming back around anytime soon. Jack had looked so vulnerable it was sickly. Hiccup was moved to the point that he actually wanted to hug him, to make him feel better. But it felt unacceptable. Hiccup had to think of something. He wasn't very good at spur-of-the-moment gimmicks. That was Jack's forte.

"Alright, alright," Hiccup backed off. He needed to get Jack to open up. "So... you're not going out this weekend?" Hiccup knew the answer, but there had to be a start somewhere.

Jack debated the question for a minute, as if deciding against his promise. To drink or not to drink? Hiccup couldn't shake the feeling that Jack was seeing right through him. It sent chills up his spine but he didn't let it show. "No, I'm not," Jack muttered, putting down the cube, "unless you're planning on it. In which case, I'll go with you if you want." It was like he was looking for a way to drink without feeling guilty. He peered at Hiccup momentarily, the question begging in his eyes.

"Uh," Hiccup scratched the back of his neck. He didn't really want Jack to drink if he'd said he wouldn't. "Not tonight, bud. Maybe tomorrow?" Hiccup was mentally kicking himself. He was being an enabler, a pushover. Yet again. He really should get some help for this.

Jack nodded absentmindedly. "Yeah, okay. We'll see." Before Hiccup could say anything, the familiar smile crept back onto Jack's face, creating that iconic smirk Hiccup recognized instantly. He was his old self in a matter of seconds. "Do you wanna play a game?"

After tonight's events, of course Hiccup would say yes.

* * *

 **A/N: Just as a by-the-way, I'm not going to tell you who Jack's father is. As far as I'm concerned, it's just another unnamed character. You can guess all you want, I'll never talk. ;)**

 **This was sort of a filler chapter because I didn't get to write about a certain scene that I wanted to write (hint: Hiccup's invitation to go party!) since it would make this chapter wayyyyy too long. So that will be in the next chapter! :) Sorry if this one was a little shorter than my others. I'm trying to get as much writing done for all my stories as I can.**

 **Have a good day/night! :)**


	4. Unnamed and Unavoidable

**A/N: So I just noticed that I start every chapter with "Jack..." And you know what? I'll just keep to it. It'll be my thing. Hoorah to the new thing!**

 **Also, I'm sorry that it's been a while since this story has had an update. But consider yourselves lucky! Some of my other works haven't had updates in almost two months. Yay, lack of motivation! :(**

 **Please read, review, and enjoy! :)**

* * *

 **Unnamed and Unavoidable**

* * *

Jack swiped the card through the machine wired to the dryer. He'd decided that laundry on a Saturday afternoon was a perfect distraction. Besides, his favorite sweatshirt needed to be washed. Thankfully, Hiccup had given him his card for this load, since Jack couldn't afford to clean his clothes this often. And by given, Jack really meant that Hiccup had left his card out in the open and had plenty of funds not to notice anything. After a thorough mental debate, Jack knew it'd be fine to use $3.00 worth of Hiccup's $30 laundry funds. Jack couldn't afford that package when applying for room and board, so he only had $15 for laundry funds each semester. And each wash was $1.25! It was ridiculous, Jack thought, how institutionalized and bureaucratic universities were. They charged for every little thing and claimed that these "funds" were "generously gifted." Jack knew otherwise: every little price was included in the bill. Nothing was free here. Jack almost wished he'd gone with Tooth to a place where higher education would have been cheaper. Alas, he would never think to leave his family like that.

He didn't think he could leave this place, either.

The low beep signaled that the card was denied, disrupting his thoughts. Frowning, Jack tried again, hoping that Hiccup wasn't already out of funds. It would be awkward to explain how Jack knew that. And just when they were starting to get onto better terms with each other, too. Last night, after a certain incident and a shower, Hiccup had agreed to play some games with him to keep their minds off of it. Jack obviously didn't want to explain his father's presence, and he figured Hiccup picked up on that. He was a good guy like that. Hiccup never mentioned him and encouraged far more positive thoughts; something Jack needed. They'd played a few card games, Jack winning them for the most part until it came to pure luck like War. It was sort of ironic since Jack always viewed Hiccup as a pacifist, but that boy could whip out high cards on a whim. Jack swore by it. Still, Hiccup would slip slight-handed compliments whenever Jack had better cards. It was a small effort, but it really meant a lot to Jack. It was like his moves, his choices, mattered. Of course, they had mattered to his father as well, but in a far more negative light. Even when there weren't compliments or snarky comments, and Jack was sure he wasn't meant to notice these, Hiccup would smile absently in his direction. Particularly if it was Jack's turn and he was supposed to focus on his own moves, Hiccup believed he wasn't watching. Or maybe he didn't know what he was doing. Either way, the small gesture played at Jack's lips, constantly trying to mirror the flutter-inducing perfection that sat across from him.

The light on the machine turned green and he punched in the preferences and listened with satisfaction as he heard the dryer kick in. Whistling, Jack's mind was occupied with thoughts of a certain brunet smirking out of the corner of his eyes. After playing cards, and losing terribly, Hiccup suggested video games might be the fairer route. In doing so, he'd reached up behind Jack for the remote to the shared TV (it was really Hiccup's, Jack couldn't afford something like that) and in the process had his body close enough for Jack to see much more detail. Jack knit his brows together, trying not to think like that, but was difficult with how they'd been acting recently. He took in a silent deep breath and noticed Hiccup must have put on aftershave, for he smelled like a northern pine forest; sharp, brisk, and clear. Jack didn't realize that Hiccup even had facial hair. His freckles were dark enough to hide any hair growth to a certain point, so it was an understandable mistake. Hiccup's fingers must have slipped on the remote, however, because he fell forward a little bit. Jack should have backed away to be respectful, but the sudden push of Hiccup's chest onto the top of his head was oddly pleasant. Jack remembered muttering an apology as he spun around and grabbed it for Hiccup since he was closer. The movement brought their faces much closer─ a move Jack would have to utilize more often─ and his breath hitched. If this were a movie, they'd have kissed. But this wasn't a movie and Hiccup didn't seem to consider it even for a moment.

As the older boy set up the console, Jack scooted himself around to Hiccup's side so he could face the TV. Testing the boundary, Jack sat with his legs crossed so that his knee would be over Hiccups but not quite touching. It wasn't something he'd put much thought into, but had just done for the fun of it. Jack didn't necessarily think ahead sometimes, and this was most definitely one of those times. Hiccup never noticed─ a cute quirk Jack had picked up on─ but Jack's leg was starting to hurt from having to keep it up in the air. Knowing he couldn't hold it up much longer, Jack decided he'd make Hiccup purposefully lose the game. Jack bumped his arm and leaned into him so far that Hiccup fell over, still calling him an unfair cheater. At that point, the movement was only meant as a source of entertainment for Jack. Thinking back on it, however, Jack knew he'd liked falling onto Hiccup. It was an awkward feeling, and Jack's present smile disappeared. Why was he taking so much notice of all of these things? On the outside, and most certainly in Hiccup's mind, it was just a normal night in a dorm room. Nothing more.

Why was Jack trying to make it into anything more? _He has a girlfriend! He's so straight you could use him as a ruler!_ Jack joked bitterly. As he stepped into the elevator with his empty laundry basket, Jack intentionally smacked the back of his head against the cool metal wall. He hadn't let that specific detail about himself manifest into his conscious thoughts since that day he'd told his father. Sure, it had been a bit of a shock to the rest of this family, and his sister was too young to know the difference, but his father had been the hardest person to make understand. In the end, he never did. That's why he'd come to the dorm room so late at night. He started out friendly─ he always did─ but then the conversation would always come up and Jack couldn't brush it off anymore. He'd told his father that it didn't affect himself as a person, that he was still a human like everyone else, but his father refused to let go of all the traditional beliefs that Jack "should have lived by" all his life. His father said Jack had made a poor choice and that he should put himself back on the "right track." That was when Jack had snapped. There was nothing that Jack needed to change about himself. There was nothing wrong with him. He'd told himself that for so many years. And the rollercoaster that last night had been only proved Jack was a slave to his secret. It cornered him and told him he was worthless but then went and flaunted its interest around his roommate. Jack couldn't deny it anymore.

He was extraordinarily attracted to Hiccup.

Jack let the thought spiral through his head, lighting up the nerves and sending an unsettling tingle throughout his body. The realization hit and he could do nothing but stare at the ceiling, hoping to find some meaningless pattern in the painted metalwork. When the elevator beeped, signaling his floor, Jack tried to hold onto the noise to keep his mind steady. It didn't work and it left Jack with no reason to _not_ think about who he couldn't have. He was about to slip the keycard into the slot when he saw that the door was already ajar.

Hiccup tossed his pillow over for the seventh time. Where the hell was his keycard? He thought he'd taken it with him when he went to the bathroom. This was apparently not the case because he had tried to toss the card onto his bed when he noticed that it wasn't in his pocket. A small bout of panic rose in his mind and he started tearing his side of the room apart to find it. He couldn't leave the room without it. He didn't trust Jack to always keep his own keycard from getting lost and both of them losing their cards would spell disaster. The door creaked open and Hiccup looked up to see Jack tossing his laundry basket underneath his own bed and hopping onto his bed.

"Hey, Hiccup," Jack ventured, "what'cha looking for?"

Hiccup threw his pillow back down in annoyance. "I can't find my card."

Jack nodded and pursed his lips. Of course he couldn't. Good think Jack had a plan for things like this. "Did you check your bookshelf?"

Hiccup ran a hand through his hair. Gosh, it looked so adorable, Jack caught himself almost smiling. "Oh, no I hadn't," when obviously he had, "except the other thousand times!" Hiccup walked over to the bookshelf again anyway. Maybe he'd magically find it here. Jack always seemed to know where to find things despite never needing to look for them. But─ much to Hiccup's lack of surprise─ the keycard still wasn't there.

Jack stifled a laugh and nearly snorted. "What about your drawers? Or pants from yesterday?"

Hiccup straightened up, contemplating the suggestion. Without saying anything, he walked over to his closet where the dresser was and rummaged through the drawers. Checked his pants. Nothing. He was about to say something to Jack when he saw a rectangular object atop the furniture. Hiccup closed his eyes, knowing Jack must have borrowed his card. He never left his card on the dresser. But he understood that Jack had probably needed to do laundry and used his card again. Hiccup played along each time, however, because he knew Jack didn't like to seem too needy. Besides, the coy smile on Jack's face was worth it.

Hiccup was wondering why he'd thought such as he turned around, flipping the card in his fingers. "I guess you were right. I should probably stop putting things there, huh?"

There was that coy smile, right on cue. It appeared immediately after Jack believed Hiccup had fallen for the trick again. Although Hiccup tended to fall for many of Jack's tricks, he prided himself on besting the trickster on at least one of them. He'd even told Astrid about it, although she'd taken it a little more seriously. She insisted that Hiccup should keep his belongings in a safe or constantly on his person. If Jack was being allowed to borrow without permission, what was stopping him from stealing something of Hiccup's? Although Astrid had only met Jack a few times, they had mainly been during parties and it wasn't the best representation of Jack. But Hiccup knew Jack better than that. Being forced to live with someone else meant you got to know them almost perfectly. Although after last night, Hiccup was beginning to think that there was something else to Jack. Pairing those events with what he'd read in Jack's journal, and the event of Sunday night, Hiccup was suddenly analyzing everything his roommate did. It was little stuff at first; a smile or a small compliment to see what Jack would do. But then Hiccup decided to try something where they'd be closer so he could monitor Jack's reactions. Jack seemed to act normally for the most part, so Hiccup let most of it slide. When Jack pushed him over─ causing him to lose the Mario Kart race─ Hiccup had been unprepared. It was a very Jack-like thing to do, but Hiccup couldn't help sensing that there was something else behind it.

"Maybe you should get a lanyard so you stop losing it," Jack winked. Yeah, there was definitely something behind it.

But don't mention it. "You know, _somehow_ , I think that statement also applies to you," Hiccup laughed.

Jack returned the laughter. "Probably," he admitted. He knew he always lost his card. A few of the times it had been on purpose, however. Because when Hiccup opened the door for Jack, it felt a little like he was inviting Jack into his home. It was an incredibly silly and ridiculous trick to play, but it always made for excellent banter between them. And banter was fun. "So, you have anything going on tonight?"

Hiccup thought for a moment. He'd hung out with Astrid yesterday and he was supposed to hang out with her tonight, but their recent texts hadn't been the friendliest. "I don't know," Hiccup shrugged. Astrid had texted him a few minutes into his and Jack's first card game, asking why he didn't want to spend the night. Hiccup didn't reply, since Jack was still upset about his father showing up, but Astrid wouldn't let him get away with it. Hiccup eventually turned off his phone to focus on keeping Jack from getting upset. He wasn't sure why, but looking out for Jack had become just another part of his life he took as a given. It wasn't a chore─ far from it─ but he didn't question it, either. Oh, but Astrid did. Jack was a bad influence on Hiccup. Jack was this. Jack was that. It didn't stop once it got started. When the night had come to a close, Hiccup had turned his phone back on to find out that Astrid have left him several voicemails. Hiccup rolled over so that Jack wouldn't be bothered by the screen's light and turned his volume down low so he could listen to them. Astrid's voice was low and sweet for a moment before she began raising her voice angrily. _Hiccup, you can't keep babying him and letting him walk all over you. He's taken up so much of your time. I hardly see you anymore! I thought going to the same college with you was going to be great, but it honestly feels like you go to another school anyway!_ And on and on it went until Hiccup tapped the screen to end the recording and set his phone down on his desk. He wanted to explain it to her, to make her understand that Jack needed someone to talk to and be around, but he couldn't. Hiccup wasn't even sure if he understood why he had to be that person for Jack.

All he knew was that he was.

"Do you still wanna go out tonight?" Hiccup asked on the offhand chance that Jack had forgotten Hiccup's invitation. He was so focused on keeping Jack busy that he didn't think about how he'd framed the question.

"Gee, don't you think Astrid would get a little jealous?" Jack cracked a smile as he hopped off his bed. "Sure, if you want. But can we do something first?"

"And what's that?" Hiccup dreaded the answer already, before it fell from the boy's lips. It was late in the afternoon and a good party on a Saturday night wouldn't start until _at least_ nine or ten. Whatever Jack had planned, it was obviously going to take a little while.

"I wanna dye my hair," Jack stated with a simple expression, leaning against his bed frame. But upon seeing Hiccup's jaw drop and eyebrows narrow in confusion, Jack couldn't help himself from laughing, breaking the coolness of his intentional pose.

Hiccup tried to act natural but he was so surprised that he stuttered a few times before getting any words out. "W-wha─ well, what color were you thinking, bud?"

Jack grinned devilishly. "White."

* * *

Several runs down to the lobby of their building later and every possible newspaper and magazine they could find was littered around on the floor underneath Jack's desk chair. Jack didn't bother to change his clothes─ they were all old and he didn't particularly care for any of them except for his sweatshirt. Speaking of which, he should probably grab his laundry out of the dryer soon. Jack had forgotten to check the time on the dryer, so it could be ready whenever. After this adventure, of course. Dying his hair was something he could do now without anyone telling him otherwise. Hiccup could have said it was a bad idea, but he didn't say anything, so Jack took it to mean Hiccup was in the affirmative. Other than him, no one was here to say no. Besides, his sister would get a kick out of it and probably tease him about it. It'd be a good distraction. And perhaps, since he would stand out, he'd be less lonely as a result of this change. White was a good, symbolic lack-of-color for Jack. It resembled snow and winter, his favorite season, but it also showed how invisible he felt.

It was also a fairly good indication that he was "pure," a virgin, but Jack hadn't thought that one through.

"So... you do know what I'm supposed to do, right?" Hiccup was mixing bleach and some other containers into a bowl. But he was looking at Jack when he was stirring and hadn't noticed he'd gotten some of the concoction on his bare hand. He absentmindedly wiped it on his dark pants.

"I know you're supposed to wear gloves," Jack's eyes darted to the area that was starting to stain.

Hiccup looked down and groaned. "Really, Jack?" Hiccup put the mixing stuff down and walked behind the chair. Jack heard Hiccup's pants unzip and fall to the floor as he grumbled about how the stain wasn't going to wash out.

Jack laughed in his chair, struggling to keep the old towel draped around his shoulders as he tried to look over without Hiccup noticing. "You'll be fine. Trust me. Just smear the stuff in my hair."

"Is that what the directions said?" Hiccup's voice echoed from his closet as drawers were opened and closed. He came back out in a pair of light brown cargo pants that had been stained before. Jack had never seen this pair, so it must be a grubby pair that Hiccup would only wear if he were truly desperate.

"That's what it looked like in the picture," Jack half-answered.

"What picture?" Hiccup asked, strapping on the gloves that came with the kit Jack had bought earlier that day. There were so many tubes of who-knew-what and he wasn't sure if he was mixing it correctly.

"In the directions."

"Where are the directions?"

"In the trash."

Hiccup walked over to the room's trash can.

"Not that trash," Jack smirked. He liked playing these games with Hiccup. The look of frustration on his face was endearing and sort of addicting.

Hiccup glared at Jack for a moment before scooping both of his hands into the thick goop inside the bowl. "Then I guess you won't mind if it comes out wrong," Hiccup said smugly as he plopped the goo onto the crown of Jack's head. The substance was cold against his scalp but Jack thought it felt nice. Hiccup's hands massaged the stuff through his hair, and Jack settled into the motions and closed his eyes in a state of bliss.

"Make sure you get every hair..." Jack murmured peacefully.

Hiccup exercised as much care as he could muster to do exactly that. It wasn't perfect, and there was goop on the top of Jack's pale ears, but it was definitely soaked into his hair. Just as he'd finished slathering the stuff onto the hairs at the back of Jack's head, Hiccup was startled to see his rich brown hair fade into a pale blond in the front already. But why was it blond? "Isn't this stuff supposed to turn your hair white?"

Jack opened one eye questioningly. "There should be a toner mix in the box."

Hiccup gulped. He'd mixed everything together because he figured it was what the box would've said. Damn it, why did Jack have to go into things without directions? "Uh, right. Right. It's right here, of course. Unmixed, that is. Yup. And that goes in... when?" Hiccup kept massaging Jack's head, not realizing that he'd pressed a little harder. Jack winced at the urgency in Hiccup's movements and ignored the fact that he knew Hiccup had used all of the mixers at once.

"I think you leave this stuff in for half an hour or something. Then the other stuff goes in and it repeats," Jack took a guess.

Hiccup stopped massaging Jack's scalp and Jack instantly began missing Hiccup's hands smoothing over his head. He could've fallen asleep to that, but then his hair would probably fall out and then he'd _really_ have a new hairstyle. They waited the approximate amount of time and Hiccup helped Jack get to the bathroom without dropping the towel because Hiccup insisted that Jack not stain his shirt or the hall floors. The latter would be charged to their accounts. The former, well, that was Hiccup being Hiccup. He knew Jack didn't have much for clothing, so there was no need to damage what few shirts he had. If it got worse, Hiccup would probably let Jack borrow or even take a shirt of his. It might be a little too big for him, but Jack wouldn't care. It might even look cute. Hiccup tried to picture it and smiled faintly at the thought as Jack went into the bathroom. His hair had gotten lighter by the minute and Hiccup was actually surprised. It actually might come out white. He'd mixed a little of what was left of the bottles and poured that on Jack's head and said it was the toner. Hiccup truly hoped Jack hadn't noticed.

Jack's thoughts lingered as he stood with his head underneath the cold shower head. Only half-joking to himself, he wished that Hiccup had come in with him... to help him with his hair. Jack so badly tried to convince himself that that was it. But somewhere in the back of his mind he knew he'd rather have Hiccup in here for other reasons. He'd heard shower... activities weren't that great, but he still wanted to find out. And of course he wanted to find out with Hiccup. He'd stopped trying to keep the feelings hidden for long enough.

When he came back with a towel draped lazily over his head, Hiccup begged to see what it looked like. Jack held the ends of the towel and wrapped them around his chin in defiance. Not until the hair was dry, he said. But Hiccup was curious. He lunged effortlessly toward Jack, but the boy ducked and backed away with ease. Standing up from his chair, Hiccup chased after him. The boy was surprisingly hard to catch.

"Jack, be nimble! Jack, be quick!" Jack recited gleefully as he hopped onto his bed and ran over his desk in an attempt to run away from Hiccup's hobbling form. He'd unsnapped a section of his prosthetic to relieve the pressure earlier and now it made it hard to just walk, let alone grab onto his roommate. Every time he stepped onto the metalwork, it slid around on the floor and caused him to trip and grab onto something to hold him up instead. He shook his head and spun around to catch Jack running up behind him, which ended in accidentally pushing him into the wall. Jack's smaller stature tried to wriggle its way out of his grasp, but Hiccup just wanted the towel on his head. He pulled at it, but Jack pulled back and tucked another edge of the towel into a knot. Hiccup grinned and flew the towel upward instead as it flew behind Jack's head and down to the floor. Hiccup's eyebrows shot up and his breath came out short. Jack's hair was _white_. The stark contrast against his dark eyebrows created a beautiful dichotomy that played off his striking blue eyes. His hair was still wet and droplets fell onto Hiccup's nose. Before Hiccup could stop himself, his thoughts were flustered with feelings unknown to him. It became so much that he barely noticed how close he'd stepped to Jack in trying to take the towel from him. Jack was still against the wall and Hiccup's hands were placed on either side. The few inches between them suddenly felt too far apart...

"You─ you, uh, look good. I mean, with white hair. You look good with white hair," Hiccup mumbled as he stepped away, his prosthetic immediately slipping on the floor. Hiccup fell with a graceless thud.

Jack sputtered into laughter despite covering his mouth before stooping to the floor and snapping the fixtures back into place on Hiccup's prosthetic. Hiccup was surprised that Jack seemed to know what he was doing, but then again, he'd seen Hiccup fiddle with it day in and day out. Hiccup thanked him and spun his leg around, looking it over just in case. Jack had done a good job and that was pretty impressive. Hiccup didn't let many people touch his fake leg because of all the screws and complications that could arise. He barely even let Astrid touch it. She liked to mess around with the screws, anyway. Thoughts of Astrid depressed Hiccup's mood suddenly. He didn't want to feel that way so soon after feeling something else so differently a few moments ago, although the reasons behind it barely registered in his mind. "You, uh, still wanna go out tonight?"

Jack shook the excess water out of his hair and started taking off his shirt without precursor. "You've already asked. Get ready, I'll pick you up at nine," Jack tossed his shirt onto his bed and looked at Hiccup mischievously. Hiccup elbowed him jokingly and went back to his desk, taking out his project to hide the confusion that had come over him abruptly.

* * *

The night had been amazing. Jack and Hiccup just had to walk out of the dorm and head down the road and before long, people were migrating with their best looks forward. Some were already drunk, wavering and shouting without knowing how silly they looked. Others were clinging to their friends and laughing over shared jokes that wouldn't be remembered by the morning. Hiccup was a little hesitant at first, but Jack could float through all of these crowds with such extreme ease that Hiccup found himself tagging along. Before long, Jack had found them a group to go with and they made their way to the fraternity everybody had been talking about. Hiccup felt weird, not having drank anything yet that night, but Jack sneaked a flask into Hiccup's hand while they were surrounded by the other people. Hiccup had raised an eyebrow but decided not to ask. He took several swigs and grimaced as the burn in his throat flared. It wasn't high class stuff, but it would do the trick. Tonight, Jack would have a good time. Hiccup was determined. They'd gotten into the house with no problem and were given cups filled with whatever as soon as they sat down. They even played a few games and met some cool people.

Of course, it was better in their imaginations.

Jack woke up with a slight headache─ the hangover wasn't nearly as potent as last weekend─ and stretched and bent his body carelessly. That's when he realized he was still wearing most of his clothes from the night before. Except for his shirt. That was missing. Puzzled, Jack sat up slowly and rubbed his eyes. The first thing he did was peer over at Hiccup's side of the room. Half of him was hanging off the bed and he was also missing his shirt. Jack tried to remember why he'd taken off his shirt, but nothing came to mind. Shrugging, Jack rolled out of his bed and waited for the room to stop spinning. He made it to the fridge and dug out something to drink─ it might have been milk. Either way, it made his dry throat feel much better. He closed the fridge and his eyes glanced back to Hiccup. It wasn't normal for Hiccup to sleep in later than Jack, so he must have had more to drink. That was also fairly unnatural, but Jack figured Hiccup had underestimated how much he could handle. That didn't bother Jack; it was something to tease him with later.

A notification noise sounded off from Hiccup's open laptop. Jack pretended not to notice at first but, due to curiosity, peeked anyway. What he saw made his stomach curl into a million frayed knots. Someone had tagged a picture of him, most likely from last night. Despite knowing he shouldn't pry, Jack walked over and clicked on the link. What came onto the screen allowed him to recollect last night in its entirety.

One of the house guys decided to put a twist on spin the bottle. Instead of kissing the person the bottle spun on, the spinner had to do a body shot off the target. Then the target would spin to see whose body they got to take a shot from. Jack remembered that it had sounded interesting and watched a few rounds. Then the bottle landed in between two people and they mistook Jack for someone playing the game. Before he could say no, they had taken off his shirt and lay him on the kitchen's peninsula. Hiccup had come over and saw that Jack was playing and joined the circle as well. The alcohol─ Jack wasn't sure what it had been─ was cold as it filled his belly button. He wanted to squirm, but he knew the others would be upset if the alcohol was spilt. The girl who'd landed the bottle on him wasn't one he'd known or even cared to remember, but her tongue did something that made Jack quiver. He'd have to remember that.

Unfortunately, he had.

A couple turns later and it was Jack's turn to spin again. It was funny to watch strangers act so intimate and awkward at the same time, but he hadn't had a turn in a while. Grabbing the bottle and twisting his wrist as far as he could, he let it spin around and around and the seconds were anxiety-inducing. But then the bottle landed facing the direct opposite direction. Jack had stared at the bottle for so long that he'd forgotten to look up. It wasn't until people started whistling and drunk catcalling that he lifted his head.

He'd spun on Hiccup, who was already stripping his body of the shirt. He'd tossed it somewhere and someone yelled that they'd caught it like they'd met some kind of rock star. Although to be honest, Hiccup's torso definitely put many rock stars' to shame. His muscles were well-toned and it looked like he was flexing a little without trying. Okay, maybe he was trying. He was very drunk, after all. Hiccup was already lying on the peninsula, his arms resting behind his head impatiently, by the time Jack had gotten the courage to stand up. Jack was suddenly self-conscious; he knew he was blushing like crazy. But everyone must have figured it was the alcohol. Besides, they really wanted to see this. A boy-boy body shot hadn't come up yet and both of them already had their shirts off. The drunk guys were insisting they'd chicken out while the girls were encouraging it, arguing about which one was hotter. Jack was certain Hiccup had won the vote, although several girls had come up to him later with their numbers scribbled on napkins, saying his hair was amazing. Jack tapped his fingers in his pockets, debating if this was okay. Yes, he was drunk right now, but that didn't mean he wanted to push another boundary so soon. On the other hand, maybe Hiccup would reveal something about himself. Jack figured he had to try. He leaned his head over Hiccup's stomach and held his breath. This guy really did have freckles everywhere. Jack, his mind undoubtedly impaired, thought about putting his hands on Hiccup's chest and... pants area and chuckled at the reaction that played out in his mind. This included the reaction from that tongue thing the girl had done to him earlier.

But now that Jack was looking at the picture, he realized he _hadn't_ been just imagining. The picture was evidence enough. Hiccup's back was clearly arched and Jack's face was close to his stomach, tongue out. His hands were exactly where he'd thought about putting them─ which was part of the reason Hiccup reacted like he did. Jack had to admit it looked...

A buzz off to Jack's right induced a shiver through Jack's senses. His head spin around to see that Hiccup's phone was blowing up with text messages. Jack bit his lip and decided to take a look─ he was already in deep trouble as it was.

The name Astrid kept flashing on the phone's lock screen.

* * *

Hiccup didn't speak to Jack for the rest of the week until before break─ when he said that he was applying for a new roommate. Oh! And, "hope you have a nice break," but that was said in a far more bitter tone. Every time they were in the room and not sleeping, an awkward influx of emotions surrounded them to the point that they felt they were choking. Jack wanted to tell Hiccup that he hadn't meant to do what he did, that it was just the alcohol talking. But alcohol tended to bring out the truth in some people, and Jack knew that there was no revoking what he'd done. Jack hated himself for not saying no. He'd let his feelings take over his judgments and didn't stop to think that maybe Hiccup was more vulnerable than him for once. Jack should have been looking out for Hiccup. Meanwhile, Hiccup was fuming, but only for the first few days. What made him make the decision he did was Astrid. They'd fought and fought long into the night several times about the incident and he'd hardly gotten any sleep. If he wanted to stay with Astrid and stop being pushed around by Jack (as Astrid had framed it), he had to get away from the problem (also Astrid's phrasing).

As soon as Hiccup climbed into his car and put the key in the ignition, he regretted everything. He wasn't sure why, but leaving Jack felt like a mistake.

Leaving Jack vulnerable just before he had to go home and possibly run into his father? That was definitely a mistake.

But there were still worse mistakes that could be made.

* * *

 **A/N: I wonder what that could mean? Hopefully, t** **he next chapter will hopefully be uploaded in a more timely fashion so that I won't have to leave you guessing for long.**

 **As a side note: I'm not Astrid-bashing, or intending to. I love Astrid. But for the purpose of this story, it's happening like this. Still Astrid-esque behavior, right?**

 **Have a good day/night! :)**


	5. Believing Isn't Easy

**A/N: LOOK AT HOW MUCH FASTER THIS UPDATED! Thanks to all of those who are reading/favoriting/following/reviewing! The support is amazing and I love you guys!**

 **I would say that I'll clear up some confusion about the last chapter here, but this chapter should cover all the bases. If there are still some questions, I'll answer them in the next chapter (which is already written because I'm a nice person)!**

 **Also, I thought I had made Jack's eyes brown for the fic (because he's in his human form for this story), but I hadn't mentioned his eyes until last chapter, and I'd said they were already blue. So I guess they're blue! I was remembering a different fic that I'm currently writing where he's also in his human form. But just imagine a blue-eyed human Jack...! :D! I almost regret making him dye his hair. Oh well!**

 *****Jack's sister, though canonically unnamed, is now named Sophie by me.*****

 **Please read, review, and enjoy the long chapter! :)**

* * *

 **Believing Isn't Easy**

* * *

Jack stared at the dorm room forlornly. His side was empty; he'd taken everything he had when he left, not just because Hiccup was going to get a new roommate but also because it was all that he had and needed. Besides, he wouldn't make Hiccup move out all of his things and he was the one that had the handicapped room. Hiccup hated calling it that, but it was spacious and he had still been allowed a roommate. Jack was sure Hiccup probably regretted that now, though. Jack made his way out of the building and to the bus stop. The emptiness of the room had reminded Jack that he wouldn't be here when they came back. He'd be moved into a room with someone new and forced to make friends over again. Or worse: he'd be put in a single and never be seen by anyone. He didn't understand it. So many people said he was a fun guy, but he felt so ignored and unseen. Hiccup had been the only one, and Jack got too close.

The whole ordeal kept tugging at his chest, so he focused his thoughts on his little sister until the bus arrived. She'd be so happy to see him, to know how he's been doing, and she would want to stay by his side for the entire time he'd be home. Jack figured he would be perfectly fine with that as the bus rolled to a stop in front of him. He stashed his small, tattered suitcase in the compartment underneath the bus and climbed on with nothing but his phone in his pockets. The battery no doubt wouldn't survive the three hour drive if he was on it constantly, so Jack made himself content to stare out the window. His forehead was smudged against the glass as he watched the streets blur past him while the hills in the background stood tall and still. Then the bus flashed through a dark tunnel and he was forced to see his blank expression in the reflection on the window. His bright white hair and pale skin were easily visible, and for a moment he jokingly wondered if he was glowing in the dark. The thought nearly curled the edges of his lips upward, but he remained solemn. His eyes, a striking cold blue, darted around his features and hoped that his mother wouldn't be too angry about his stylistic choices. It was already done, so she couldn't be that upset. She'd been upset about other things that couldn't be changed, of course, but she always tried not to let it show. She tried to support him. It was the exact opposite response he'd gotten from his father, and it was the main reason the man had left. He couldn't stand his wife having a different opinion or shielding Jack. Traditional and stubborn, very stubborn.

He would hate Jack's hair.

Good thing Jack wasn't going to let him see it. Or come anywhere near the house for that matter. His father was the sort of man to not let things go─ prime example had been last Friday when he'd shown up at the dorm room that night. Jack had been stupidly scared simply because it had been so sudden. Well, okay, and the man was downright terrifying. But Jack wanted to believe that he would have handled it better had it been elsewhere. After his father invited himself in, he acted like the nicest, best father in the world. Then out of nowhere he'd punched Jack and gotten to his real agenda. He was disowned for the thousandth time because his father couldn't just let it go and move on.

Jack switched his thoughts back to his sister and started to calm down almost instantly. But as he was drifting off to sleep, his phone buzzed and jolted him awake. Jack dug it out of his pocket and glanced at the preview that popped up on the lock screen. It was Hiccup. Jack didn't bother to read the message as it brought back more emotions with which he wasn't prepared to cope. Jack fell asleep on the bus while the subtle longing of a brunet invaded his thoughts.

When Jack awoke, the bus was still a few miles off from his hometown. He stretched in his seat, releasing a tired moan from the back of his throat. It wouldn't be long now. Checking his phone for the time, Jack saw that he had a slew of new messages. Jack's eyebrows rose as he unlocked the phone to see who they were from. His curiosity was unfortunately answered with one person: Hiccup. There might be something important he'd wanted to say, after all. But Jack had no desire to feel depressed just before coming home to his family. He tucked his phone away again and waited for the bus to stop outside the station a mile from his house. Walking the rest of the way wouldn't be an issue. He knew his mom couldn't afford to waste gas to go pick him up; every little trip meant being a little bit closer to an empty tank she could never fill to the top.

The bus came to a halt and Jack was the only one getting off of the bus. But as he stepped onto the concrete, hands wrapped around his waist and he looked down to see a head of brown hair snuggling his stomach.

"Jack!" His sister was hopping up and down excitedly. "I missed you! Wow! What'd you do to your hair? Why's it all white? Did you not like your brown hair? You look okay, I'm just curious. Mommy's inside the car over there. She said we should pick you up since it's your first time back from college and I got to go with her. She said she has a surprise for you but she has it in the car and won't come out until you go over and see her. Come on, come on, come on!" She was already tugging at his sweatshirt and trying to pull him toward the corner where a small blue car was idling.

"Whoa─ okay, okay! Hold on, Soph!" Jack stood in place, laughing at her attempt to pull his body's weight. "I gotta get my bag!" Jack laughed again as he walked over to the side of the bus, dragging Sophie with him. He unlatched the opening and shuffled around other bags until he found his obvious second-hand luggage. Sophie lunged ahead of him, into the belly of the bus, and pulled at the handle. She was able to get it most of the way out and it was beginning to fall on top of her when Jack shot out his hands and heaved the suitcase to the side. "You gotta be careful, Soph. You should let me get it next time."

Sophie pouted and began walking away. "I had it under control!" She puffed her chest out in retaliation and marched to the car.

Jack retracted the handle and let the old suitcase's wheels rattle down the sidewalk as he waved to the bus driver signaling that he was all set. The driver waved back and the bus rolled onward out of sight. Sophie opened both back doors: one for herself and the other for Jack's bag. Picking it up and settling it into the backseat, Jack noticed that the car smelled nice. It was a familiar scent, but Jack had never smelled it in the car. When he got into the front passenger seat, he realized his mother was wearing her perfume that she only wore on special occasions. The thought of Jack coming home being special made him feel welcomed and he smiled at the charm of it.

"Hey, Mom," Jack shut the door and beamed a smile at his mother. Her brown hair was cut in a short bob and she had a warming smile on her lips.

"Hey, sweetie," her voice was calm and thankful. "What... nice hair you have. I didn't know they put you under that much stress in college."

Jack had figured she'd react somewhat like this when she saw his snowy hair, but she was still calmer about it than he'd expected. "Can you believe it? Most of it's natural! So I thought it was better to complete the look, you know?"

His mother shook her head with a smile on her face. "I've got you something," she said as she handed him a small box she'd kept on her lap.

Jack's brows furrowed. His mom didn't have the money to buy him things on a whim like this, and he was going to come home from college for every break. Why was this time out of the ordinary other than it being the first? "Mom, you really didn't have to spend─"

"Just open it, honey," she urged. Sophie poked her head in between their seats and watched as Jack began opening the box, taking off the bow carefully. He knew she could reuse it for other gifts closer to Christmas. Removing the top, Jack's eyes met a small silver key with a black handle. It looked oddly like...

"Is this a spare key to the car?" Jack looked up at her, his mouth open but starting to turn into a smile. He had managed to get his license on time but he'd never been able to get a car of his own. This was the next best thing.

His mother nodded, glad to see her oldest boy so happy, "It's only to be used when I don't need it for work and if it's for a good reason. You don't need to ask; I know you're old enough to take responsibility for it. And since you haven't driven since last year, you'll need to drive with me the first ti─"

"Thank you, Mom!" Jack cut her off as he reached over the center console and hugged her tightly. The car hadn't moved yet so it wasn't like they were in danger of crashing or anything. Jack craned his head into her neck and whispered, "I love you, Mom. I'll pay you back, I promise."

His mother wrapper her arms around him and laughed softly. "You don't need to pay me back, Jack. I got a new job and I'm making more than before."

Jack leaned back and looked at her in surprise. This was amazing news! Maybe Jack had less to worry about than he'd thought. "That's great! What is it?"

His mom shifted into gear and guided the car back onto the road. It wouldn't be more than a few minutes to the house. "I took a position at the mental health center in the next town over. They needed an assistant, but I might end up taking some clients of my own."

"Yeah, she's taking care of crazy people!" Sophie giggled before their mother pushed her gently into the backseat and told her to buckle up.

Jack nodded with a light smile. Taking care of more people; that sounded just like his mother. She'd always wanted to help everyone she saw, and perhaps that's why Jack had been able to stay at home when his father tried to kick him out. But those were thoughts for another time. Right now, he was enjoying being with people that loved him. Probably the only people in the world, but perhaps that would be enough. He sat back, pulling the lever to angle the seat back more and playfully crushing his sister's legs. He listened to each member talking about what they had been doing while he was gone, offering frequent hums and smiles of acknowledgment. Jack felt his phone buzzing in his pocket as they parked into their driveway, but ignored it again. What happened at college stayed at college.

* * *

Hiccup had gotten home early in the afternoon, having only an hour's drive from the dorms to his house. He was welcomed immediately by his cat, Toothless, who curled himself around Hiccup's legs and purred excitedly. He was more like a dog than a cat, his father often said, but Hiccup thought it was nice. Unlike his father, Toothless listened to Hiccup when he had problems to talk about.

And what he had right now was a problem. He'd texted Jack a few minutes into the drive, at a stop light, because he wanted to repair something between them. Hiccup kept telling himself that he had reacted normally, because what Jack did _was_ inappropriate and it only pushed Hiccup's suspicions further. And by further, he meant his suspicions were proven. But Hiccup never held grudges and he wasn't mad at Jack after a few days. The reason he'd stayed in a sour mood was because Astrid couldn't leave it well enough alone. Hiccup insisted that they'd been so drunk that it was just something that happened. Astrid wouldn't have that excuse, however, and convinced him to see otherwise. But as he was driving, memories of Jack's father yelling at Jack and of the blood on Jack's shirt kept popping up in his mind. Putting everything together, he realized that he just had to tell Jack that he wasn't interested. But Hiccup was really bad at explaining things in texts and it took him several tries to say what he wanted to say. He didn't quite get around to the subject, but it didn't matter because apparently Jack wasn't getting any of them.

Hiccup walked into the front door and tossed his keys toward the bowl on the entrance table. It missed, but Toothless caught it as it fell off the floor and jumped back onto the table, dropping them in the bowl and meowing happily. Hiccup noticed the trick and smiled, rubbing Toothless between the ears. "Thanks, bud."

Hiccup found his way into the kitchen and found his dad working on a laptop at the kitchen's island. He had a long, thick beard and his hair was in a braid tucked neatly into the back of his work shirt. He looked up briefly and smiled before looking back to the computer screen. "Welcome home, Hiccup."

"Hey, dad," Hiccup said as he slumped into a stool opposite his father. It was fairly normal to see his father working even when he was home, but it was the middle of the day. "Why aren't you at the office?"

"Hmm?" Stoick raised an eyebrow but otherwise didn't move. Then, before Hiccup could ask again, he cleared his throat. "I took a personal day. I knew you were coming back, so I figured I'd be here to give ya a welcome. I'll be cookin' tonight."

"Is Mom going to be home this time?"

"'Fraid not, son," Stoick closed the laptop and pushed it aside. "She's still in Toronto until morning. It was the soonest she could get time off."

Hiccup nodded slowly. That was also normal. His mother worked more than his father, and was often away taking care of international affairs. It became so often that they couldn't just move around to follow the job, so they'd settled here where she could always fly back. The last time Hiccup had seen her, he'd been about to leave for college. Before that, he hadn't seen her in years. He had barely remembered what she looked like aside from the pictures she'd send back. Most of them were from amazing heights high in the sky, but some of them held her face, smiling in a business suit pressed professionally. She had started working with animals, and she still did, but the corporation knew she was good at leading as well and offered her a much higher position. Combining his parents' incomes, Hiccup wasn't rich, but he was certainly well off. At least both of his parents loved him.

That's when Hiccup checked his phone again: nothing. While he typed out another text asking Jack to please, _please_ talk to him, he continued his conversation halfheartedly with his father. "So how's the place been while I was gone?"

"Ah, you know," his father shrugged, "quieter, lonelier, cleaner. Less things've gotten broken, too." He laughed as Hiccup glared at him.

"Oh, ha, ha," Hiccup rolled his eyes as he sent the text. _Jack, don't think I won't be there for you. Just wait for Astrid to cool down. Answer, please?_ In previous texts, he'd said that he was sorry, that Astrid had him do it. Then he'd gone and said he didn't know why he'd given into Astrid, and accidentally alluded to his increasing discomfort around her. It was beginning to sound like the wrong thing, and Hiccup tried to correct himself. But his words were getting nowhere and he'd left his phone alone until he'd gotten home just now. "How's Toothless been?"

"What? You mean that dog you call a cat?" Stoick asked as a black figure jumped onto the counter and curled into Hiccup's arms resting on the surface. "He's been fine. No need to worry. I've taken good care of him. I'll get to preparing the meal; you can go settle in. I'll call you when it's done!" His father stood up and started gathering supplies to start making dinner. They'd always eaten early.

For some reason, Hiccup doubted that Toothless was in completely good hands. His father had hated cats for the longest time, shooing them away whenever they were close to him, and Hiccup had to hide Toothless from him for a good month or two. It wasn't until he'd come back from work one day that he'd found cat hair on his bed. It was a rough argument between the two of them, but Hiccup had managed to convince his father to keep the cat after he'd helped them get rid of some rather large mice that had infested the house last summer. It took his father awhile to fully warm up to Toothless, but Hiccup didn't believe he'd ever harm the cat intentionally now. Toothless purred pleasantly and sneezed, wriggling his whiskers back and forth. Hiccup glided his hand from Toothless's head down to his tail and repeated the motion a few times. He stood up and waved Toothless to follow him into his room upstairs. When Hiccup closed the door after Toothless sauntered his way in, he immediately went and plopped down on his bed, groaning with fatigue. Toothless took the opportunity to lie on Hiccup's back, stretching out and digging his claws into the boy's shoulders. Hiccup was too distracted to push the cat off and allowed it to endure.

His phone was in his hand. Jack still hadn't answered and Hiccup was feeling worse and worse about the entire thing. Bringing the phone up to his face, his fingers wavered above the screen as he reread what he'd sent.

 _HICCUP: I'm sorry.  
_ _HICCUP: I shouldn't have said those things. I'm really not that angry.  
_ _HICCUP: I mean... I am angry. Or I was. For a few days, at least.  
_ _HICCUP: it's just that Astrid wasn't letting it go and she kept nagging for days.  
_ _HICCUP: I don't know why I'm still with her, feels sort of weird now.  
_ _HICCUP: like, I don't really like her anymore, or any girl.  
_ _HICCUP: I mean ANYONE. Not just girls. That sounded wrong.  
_ _HICCUP: not that there's anything wrong with that. There's not. And I'm not saying that you are. But I mean if you are, that's totally fine. I just don't think the way you went about it was okay.  
_ _HICCUP: I just didn't feel comfortable about it. We can still hang out, though. Just because I'll have a different roommate doesn't mean I won't be your friend.  
_ _HICCUP: I'm not friendzoning you, though.  
_ _HICCUP: I mean, I'm not saying that you're an option.  
_ _HICCUP: you're a good option! You're a good guy and you have an amazing smile and you're goofy and fun, certainly more so than Astrid ;)  
_ _HICCUP: OH GODS WAIT I didn't mean you're more attractive than Astrid. I mean, you are, but  
_ _HICCUP: OKAY NOT LIKE THAT.  
_ _HICCUP: wow this is a train wreck  
_ _HICCUP: Look, I'm sorry. Just please talk to me?  
_ _HICCUP: Jack, don't think I won't be there for you. Just wait for Astrid to cool down. Answer, please?_

Hiccup typed one last message and hit send before he could make himself think through the decision.

 _HICCUP: I miss you, bud._

The more times Hiccup read them, the more convinced he became that something was wrong with him and not Jack. He knew that he and Astrid weren't seeing eye-to-eye these days and that he wanted to see her less and less, but he hadn't attributed it to anything in particular. Their arguing had only made things worse. He didn't know why he'd listened to her. It was true he had been upset about it, but at the same time things started to unfurl around him and he had almost gotten out of the fog when it was time to leave. He vaguely remembered taking off his shirt, the cold marble of the counter against his back, and some kind of amazing sensation coming from his stomach. The touch had been vaguely cool, but it had left a warm feeling in his lower gut. He remembered hearing people cheering drunkenly. It wasn't until the next morning and a glance at his laptop later that he'd learned all of what had happened. But when he asked Jack to defend himself, the boy had gone silent. There was nothing to defend. That was all he'd said. Their type of fight was more silent, brooding; far more... sad. Hiccup, during the week, had wanted to go over to Jack and make things better, but he didn't know how. Jack wouldn't meet his eyes ever, and if he did, it was for the briefest of moments before he buried his head in a textbook. He claimed to be studying and proceeded to put music in his ears. Hiccup always ended up looking at Jack a little longer than he should have been. Even now, Hiccup could still picture the boy, smiling and jumping around and cracking jokes and playing pranks. The thoughts, though happy, depressed Hiccup further. Toothless must have sensed this, because he had gotten up and curled around Hiccup's face, wiping away tears Hiccup didn't know he'd had.

* * *

The few days of break from school Jack had were spent with his sister. He took her out into the woods and played hide-and-seek, tag, and various games he'd thought up on the spot. She would always be a little dubious at first, and complain about Jack always winning, but he insisted it would be okay. She'd cave in and Jack would let her win a couple times, long enough for her to want to play longer. They may not have much money, but Jack found a way for them to have fun without the fancy trips to amusement parks, museums, or camps.

He did take her to the town's park one day, though. He taught her how to go across the monkey bars on her own without him, although she'd gotten stuck in the middle. Her body had stopped swaying and her fingers gripped onto the bars for dear life. He kept trying to talk her into swinging forward, but she wouldn't listen.

"Jack! I'm scared..." she whimpered, her fingers beginning to slip.

"I know, I know," Jack tried to hide a smirk and look serious, "but you're gonna be alright. You're not gonna fall off," Jack was rubbing his fingers into his palms, thinking of a way to keep her moving across the bars. "We're gonna have a little fun instead."

"No we're not!" Sophie kicked out her legs, causing her pinkies to lose their grip on the bar. It wouldn't be long until she fell, which was admittedly far for the smaller girl. Jack could easily stand, but he wanted his sister to be brave.

"Would I trick you?" Jack smiled encouragingly.

"Yes! You always play tricks!" Sophie whined. A hand let go momentarily but she was able to grab onto the bar again.

"Well, alright," Jack knew he probably would play a more obvious trick in other, similar circumstances. But this time he was mostly serious. He wouldn't intervene unless he had to. Besides, she would probably survive a scrape to her knee. "Well, not this time. I promise. I promise, you're gonna be..." Jack paused as she nearly fell and yelped, "you're gonna be fine."

Jack's sister stared at him, wondering how long he would keep this up for. She didn't want to do this. She could do it when she was older, taller. But would Jack be around when she did that?

"You wanna play a game? We're going to play tag, like we do every day. I'm going to go around to the start of the monkey bars. If I can catch up to you and tag you, then I win. You don't want me to win again, do you?" Jack grinned mischievously. Sophie hated losing, and this would definitely push her forward. He didn't break her eye contact until after he'd made it behind her. "Are you ready? I'll count to three. One... two... thr─"

Sophie was rapidly grabbing each metal bar one after the other, pulling her body across the gap before Jack could complete his countdown. Jack laughed and started chasing after her slowly, giving her the illusion that she was winning because she was faster than Jack. "That's it, that's it!"

At the last rung, Sophie's fingers missed their target and her weight was still swinging with too much momentum. Her other hand lost its control and she began falling. Jack, seeing that she wasn't going to make it to the platform, dashed underneath her to catch her. However, she was heavier than he'd anticipated and she landed on top of him, squishing him into the park's coarse sand. Not understanding Jack's pain, Sophie giggled and hit his back with a tiny fist. The minute amount of force was enough to make Jack cough, but the smile wasn't wiped off his face. She wasn't hurt, so that was all that mattered.

That night, the last night that he would be home before returning to the university, his mother was cooking a large meal. The hope had been that he would take some leftovers back with him so that he didn't have to eat the dining hall food. He was getting skinnier, she'd complained. Jack just shook his head and laughed it off. It was impossible for him to get any skinnier. There wasn't an ounce of muscle on him and he never bothered to go to the gym. That was Hiccup's thing. Besides, Hiccup looked better with muscles than Jack would ever hope to look. Remembering Hiccup, Jack realized he hadn't checked his phone since coming home. He'd been too busy keeping his sister occupied. She wouldn't leave him alone otherwise. Even at the dinner table, she'd talk through her food to him, ask him questions, and flick food at him─ although that last bit was usually instigated by Jack despite their mother's warnings. The house had held up well with the three of them and there had been no disturbances.

"So, Jack," his mother asked when Sophie had taken a break to chew her food, "how's college been? Are your grades okay?"

Jack nodded, swallowing another bite of the turkey she'd cooked. "I haven't gotten my midterms back yet, since I just took them, but I'll let you know as soon as they come in."

"That's good─"

"Do you have a boyfriend yet, Jack?" Sophie's voice piped up above their mother's and the table went silent.

Jack had a fork lifted to his mouth, but now it was falling back onto his plate slowly. Of course Sophie knew, Jack confided in her with everything because he did the same thing for her. But he wasn't expecting her to be so forward about it now. His eyes darted to his mother to see her reaction. She'd hidden it well, but Jack could still see that her lips were twitching downward as she stared back at him. Even if she loved him unconditionally, it was hard for her to go against tradition. Jack took a deep breath, raising his eyebrows and trying to laugh it off. "No, Sophie. I don't."

"Well, not yet," Sophie corrected him, "but you totally will. Soooooo many guys would want a cutie like you!" She pointed her fork and beamed a wide, toothy smile at him. On the inside, Jack thought the compliment was uplifting, but this wasn't the time nor the place for it. Despite this, Jack knew his cheeks were flushing with color. It may have started pink, but the heat that rose up told him that he was definitely red.

"That's nice of you, Sophie," his mother chimed in, saving Jack from having to do it himself, "but I think we should finish dinner. Your brother has to get ready to leave for school in the morning."

"NOOooooo!" Sophie whined, standing up abruptly from her seat. "I'll never see him again!"

"Oh, come on, Soph," Jack reached over and pat her back. "You telling me you'll never see the sun again when the moon comes up each night?"

Sophie sat back down in a slump. "No..." she hated admitting that he was right.

"That's right, Sophie. Jack will come back," his mother stood up hurriedly, "now, let's finish up and you can help me do the dishes." She looked at Jack once more before turning her back on him.

Jack sighed and continued eating his plate in silence. Then his phone buzzed on the counter. He ignored it, but his mother walked over and peered at it, no doubt reading it. Jack didn't particularly care; it wouldn't show the whole message on the lock screen and it probably wasn't anyone important. Jack grit his teeth as his mother walked over with the phone. She set it down next to his plate and gave him a glare like he'd been caught lying. Confused, Jack picked up the phone and read the messages. All of Hiccup's ramblings spilled out at once and it took him a minute to wrap his head around what he was reading. Then the last text piqued his attention.

 _HICCUP: So... I broke up with Astrid._

* * *

The turmoil that played out in Hiccup's mind wouldn't leave him be. Jack hadn't answered him and Hiccup was starting to feel worse. Astrid had tried to come over several times and every time she'd made a move on him, he'd either ignore it or tell her no. This had been happening since the start of college, maybe a little before then, but Hiccup had thought it was his nerves about living on his own, without his father or mother around. Not that it was much different than normal, but it was an extra step away and he didn't necessarily feel that he could step up to the responsibility. That's why he'd been so close to Jack. Jack was fun and didn't act like college was the end of everything enjoyable. He'd made Hiccup feel like they could still live a little. Forcing Jack to move out had never been his idea. And he'd regretted it. He'd texted three more times in the desperate hope that Jack would answer. The first text was Hiccup admitting everything that happened was stupid and that he'd still keep Jack as a roommate and that they could talk things out when they went back. He'd said he realized the mistake and that maybe there was something wrong with him, but Astrid wasn't what he wanted anymore. Before he could finish the wall of text, Astrid had caught him typing it and tried to take the phone from him playfully. She thought that wrestling would get him in the mood and taking the phone should've done that. Her finger accidentally pressed send and when Hiccup was frantically trying to take it back, she decided to look for herself as a joke.

"Astrid!" Hiccup had been pushed onto the bed and the blond girl was waving his phone around, screaming like a maniac. "Astrid, please. Let me explain."

"What's there to explain, Hiccup?!" Astrid yelled, chucking the phone onto the bed near Hiccup's head. "I saw what you wrote! What, am I not good enough? Do I not put out enough?"

"You know that isn't─"

"Yeah, yeah I do know that, Hiccup. I know that's not it, because I've been _crawling_ all over you since we started college! I got a single so that we'd have privacy without worrying about a roommate. I didn't know I'd have to worry about _your_ roommate!"

"I don't think about him that way, Astrid," Hiccup held up his hands in an effort to quell her anger. It didn't seem to be working, but she wasn't trying to kill him yet, so that was something. He stood up slowly from the bed and walked over to her. He put his hands on her shoulders softly and looked into her eyes. Her eyes darted between his green ones and for a moment she looked more scared than angry. But that soon changed.

"Like hell you don't," Astrid pushed his chest back before he got close, "remember last weekend, Hiccup? Or were you too drunk?"

"I told you, I _was_ drunk─"

"That shouldn't _matter_ , Hiccup!" She cut him off again. "If you'd told me this before we started dating, I would've understood. Gods, I would've supported you! But to lie to me for a year? Why, Hiccup? At least tell me why! Tell me why you didn't mention anything just to make it blow up in our faces."

"W-well, I didn't kno─ wait, wait─ what?" Hiccup had started to stumble through an explanation when he'd caught on. "Y-you mean you're not angry about the actual event? You're... you're angry that I didn't tell you I was... I was gay?" The word had come out of his mouth, but Hiccup couldn't believe that he'd said it. It was what had been nagging at his mind since the beginning of college. It was that weird sensation he didn't know what to do with. For so long, he'd waved it off as nerves. When it had gotten stronger recently, he'd just run away from it and hid. He didn't want to name the swirling uneasiness in his gut every time he declined Astrid's offers, every time he hung out with Jack. It couldn't be... could it?

Astrid realized what she'd said and backed away from Hiccup, confused even by her own words. "I... I guess. Oh, Hiccup!" Her words felt hopeless. "You know I don't hate Jack─"

"That's not what you've been saying this past week─"

"I was upset, okay?!" Astrid snapped back. Composing herself, she tried again. "It's just that I didn't think it was true until I saw it and I just thought, 'well, maybe I can fix this,' but it's not exactly something that can be fixed and I know that, I _know_ that, Hiccup, I do, but I didn't believe it─"

"Wait," Hiccup's brows knit together, piecing together, "you thought I was... like this... this whole time?"

Astrid shrugged in defeat. "At first. I mean, everyone thought so. But then we started dating and I thought it had all just been a rumor."

"Everyone thought so?" This was the first time Hiccup had heard anything about this. _He_ didn't even know he was gay until just barely─ though the idea was still loosely floating in his mind and hadn't come to fruition just yet─ and his friends had been betting on it for possibly years? "Why─ why didn't I hear about any of this?"

Astrid twiddled her thumbs and took in a sharp breath. "We thought you were waiting for a good time to come out to us..."

Hiccup ran a hand through his hair, tugging at his small braids in the back. " _I_ didn't even know. Gods, I'm not even sure if I know _now_..." Hiccup fell back onto the bed and stared, bewildered, at the floor. He'd never thought of himself that way. He'd never looked at any particular guy and thought _yeah, he's hot,_ or anything like that. Sure, he'd find something he liked about them, but it was never like that. Even with Jack around, he hadn't thought that way. There may have been small hints of something here and there, but Hiccup had concluded that... Well, he hadn't concluded anything. He tucked it away in the recesses of his mind not to be brought up again. When Jack's father had threatened Jack, Hiccup wanted so desperately to protect him. He thought it was natural. But now, as Astrid sat next to him and rubbed his shoulders in consolation, Hiccup realized just how much he'd been there for Jack, taken care of Jack, and...

And liked Jack. _Really_ liked Jack.

The second text Hiccup sent was that he broke up with Astrid.

The third text was sent after he had to tell his father the reason that he and Astrid were no longer dating. Another long look of disappointment and a useless argument later, Hiccup had his bags packed in the car and keys in his hand. His father still loved him and he wasn't going to leave Hiccup alone like this, no matter what, but Stoick did not want to be around Hiccup right now. His mother had already left for another trip; this time to London. She was spared from the eye-opening revelation. Hiccup knew it was just the shock of it all, because he felt it too and he wanted to leave. He got into his car after telling his father goodbye and that he loved him and he just sat there for awhile. Where could he go? The college wouldn't allow students back onto the campus until tomorrow at noon, and Jack probably wouldn't be back until after dinnertime. He could always find early parking near the dorm and sleep in his car, but he was too anxious. He'd never sleep and waiting all day for Jack to get back to talk to him would just make his anxiety worse. But it would only take two hours if he went the other route. Hiccup tapped out a message and pressed send.

 _HICCUP: Can I stay with you tonight?_

* * *

 **A/N: Yay all the cute Jack and sister sibling stuff! :) It may seem like the story's moving pretty fast, but I never intended this to be a long story. It'll probably be around 10 chapters by the end. I tried not to end on a cliffhanger, so I kept writing. But then I'd made another cliffhanger and kept writing after that. Having not been able to stop myself from writing like that, I just decided to end it here. However, I've been dropping hints in this chapter about what's to come.**

 **Hmm... I wonder where Jack's father has been all this time?**

 **Muwahahahaha.**


	6. Almost There

**A/N: Hello lovelies! Just a quick announcement; I have a little one-shot about this pairing (when they're together, this time) playing a fun, messy game! ;) It's called** _ **Messy Twister**_ **and you can find it either in the archives or from going to my profile. If you've already read it, great! I just wanted to get it out there. I do so for anything new I've written in case you want to check out other works. I forgot to mention it in the last chapter because I uploaded it before I finished it/weird timing/stuff like that. Sorry if it feels like a repeat for some of you!  
**

 **In addition, I know that the fandom commonly gives Jack's sister the name Emma. I'm not saying that I don't like it, but I always see his sister as looking more like Jamie's sister, Sophie. I thought it would make a nice albeit obvious connection between the two families. That's all.**

 **This chapter has some cuteness, some sap, and some fluff. There's also an HP reference. Hopefully it makes up for the minor heartaches I've been throwing around. Or not. You'll see. ;)**

 **Please read, review, and enjoy! :)**

* * *

 **Almost There**

* * *

Jack sat at the table for a moment in shock. Was he reading all of this right? A majority of Hiccup's texts had occurred the Friday that they'd left for break. They all looked to be as Hiccup was leaving the dorm or getting home. But then there was nothing for the entirety of break until just now... and two messages a few minutes ago. The first recent one read:

 _HICCUP: Hey, bud... haven't heard from you in a few days... or at all. I guess I understand. I let Astrid make my decision for me and that wasn't fair to you. It was stupid. The whole thing was stupid. We can stay roommates, Jack. I don't care. I gotta make this mistake right. I don't know what came over me. I shouldn't have talked to you like I did. Maybe something's wrong with me. But I can't be with someone like Astrid anymore. I don't know how to explain it to you. She's just not someone I want to be with anymore._

The time stamp was an hour ago, just as Jack and his sister had come in for dinner. He'd left his phone on the kitchen counter underneath a bunch of other things. Before they sat down, he had checked it but disregarded it when he saw Hiccup's name. Now he wished he had answered him days ago. Hiccup's messages were haphazard and his thoughts were clearly all over the place. The prospect of Hiccup arguing with himself over what to say was a cute thing to imagine. Jack's hope would rise and then fall and then rise again, and he wasn't sure what Hiccup had been trying to say to him. The last oldest message, _I miss you, bud,_ sounded so desperate for Jack's attention. Jack had pushed his plate away to reread all of the messages. The last one, stating that he'd broken up with Astrid, didn't feel real to him. Time slowed down but his brain worked a thousand miles per minute. How had it happened? Why was Hiccup taking the fall for everything? Well, Jack knew why, Hiccup was always so selfless, but he couldn't believe Hiccup to go that far. Hiccup didn't seem like the dumper. He was most definitely the dumpee. Hiccup, despite being bigger and stronger, was too soft. At least as far as Jack had seen of him over the past month and a half. That must have meant Astrid broke it off with him. But she had no reason to do so: she'd won him, taken him effectively away from Jack. Why would she do that just to break up with him?

Jack stood from his chair and pocketed the phone. How was he supposed to answer? _YES! The wicked witch is gone!_ No. _Oh no, I feel so sorry for you. Wanna hug?_ Also no. _A kiss?_ Definitely not. Jack brought his dish over to the sink and rinsed it while his sister stood on a stepladder to wash the other dishes and his mother dried them. Jack washed his own alongside his sister to distract himself momentarily. He splashed water onto Sophie's arms and she squealed. The mother glanced over and smirked. Jack took it a step further when he was finished and flicked soapy water in his sister's face. Sophie shrieked and ran after him, her hands filled with bubbles just waiting to tackle him. They ran around for a few seconds when Jack felt his phone buzz yet again. He stopped and took it out immediately for once, half-expecting it to be Hiccup joking and half-expecting it to be Hiccup confessing his undying love. Jack knew the latter was impossible, but a boy could dream. And yet, what the text read was something he would have never believed.

 _HICCUP: Can I stay with you tonight?_

What was making Hiccup say all of these weird things? It was the night before they'd be back in the dorms tomorrow. Couldn't whatever Hiccup wanted to discuss wait until then? Jack didn't feel like getting yelled at prematurely, especially around his family. Sophie collided into Jack, forcing his legs to twist and he fell to the ground. She proceeded to tickle him, but Jack wasn't responding. She pouted and told Jack to laugh. Jack didn't hear her, though, as he stood and walked into his room and shut the door. In the background, he heard his sister whine in defeat and run back into the kitchen. When Jack was sure he couldn't be heard, he placed a phone call.

There was nothing but faint static for a moment and Jack's heart began to sink fast. What was so important or emergent that Hiccup had to stay at Jack's place? The college was closer and he could always just stay in his car if he couldn't get into the room. The ringing began and Jack tapped the back of his phone impatiently. A click was heard and the first thing Jack recognized was a heavy sigh. "Hello? Jack?"

Jack exhaled slowly. Hiccup's voice on the phone sounded a little different, a little lower and gruffer, but it was still Hiccup. He didn't sound to be in danger. "What's going on, Hiccup?"

Hiccup made a noise that was halfway between a nervous laugh and a depressing groan. "It's sort of hard to explain. Dad's not taking too well to the breakup; worse than me. Go figure. Anyway, we got into a fight and I really shouldn't stay around. Do you have room for me to stay?"

Jack snorted, shaking his head. Not only was Hiccup serious, but was this actually a plan of action that Hiccup wanted to take? "Seriously? You know the school's much closer."

There was a pause. Jack thought he heard Hiccup's hand tap onto something in the background. "I know, I know, but we have to talk, and I thought─ you know─ 'kill two birds with one stone,' right?"

"No, Hiccup," Jack still felt very hurt and conflicted by Hiccup's strange behavior, "we don't have to talk. _You want_ us to talk. Why can't we just talk on the phone, anyway?"

"Agh, because this is _important_ , Jack," Hiccup insisted. "We need to talk about this. Did─ did you get any of my texts?" The pleading sound in his voice told Jack that Hiccup was near the end of his ropes. Whatever he and his father had fought about, besides the breakup, it was clearly affecting him negatively. The only reason Jack figured they'd fought about more than the breakup was because it made no sense for a father to be that upset over their son's relationship. Jack's story was unique and he knew that.

Jack pursed his lips and mulled it over. Was Hiccup asking all of this because of his father or because of Jack? "Do you want to talk about it?" He kept it purposely vague and waited for a response.

"Not on the phone," Hiccup stated slowly, pronouncing everything meticulously, "please, Jack. I need a place to stay, someone to talk to."

"What about your other friends?"

Silence. It was then that Jack realized what it meant. Hiccup wanted to talk to _him_ specifically. It must be about him. Jack's forehead started to sweat as he paced his room. Hiccup broke up with Astrid and had a fight with his father. But that could mean nothing. Jack would be jumping to conclusions if he thought otherwise. But there was something in Hiccup's voice that made Jack worry. "Sorry. Uh, you know where Burgess is?"

Hiccup sighed in relief. "I can put it in the GPS," he said as Jack heard a car start up and several buttons beeped. "What's the address?"

"Rich boy," Jack scoffed with a smile. Hiccup must have known, because he decided to ignore it and ask for the address again. Jack recited his house's address that he'd known by heart since he was little. Jack's heart beat a little faster in light of the turn of events. Hiccup was going to be in his house. He felt like an idiotic, hormonal teenager. Well, okay, he still was one, but not for that much longer. These few days being unreasonably angry and upset and sad about Hiccup were painful for him, even when he'd been busy with his sister. The thoughts about whatever had occurred between them never truly left his mind. The feelings always came back as he lay awake in bed, alone and afraid that he would stay that way forever. But maybe... maybe Hiccup would at least stay his friend. Jack could work with that. He could swallow his feelings and keep the fun front running smoothly.

"Alright, it's in," Hiccup's words jarred Jack's mind and stalled his thoughts, "and it's an hour and fifty minutes. I can make that an hour and ten."

Jack frowned. Hiccup loved speeding whenever they drove anywhere. It didn't usually bother Jack, but sometimes it was a little too fast. "Don't get yourself pulled over, Hic. Or worse, killed."

"Better than getting expelled," Hiccup chuckled to himself over the phone. Jack rolled his eyes at the reference and smiled a smile he hadn't felt in a long time. Sure, he'd smiled around his family, but this one was different. Just as genuine, but different. "I'll, uh─ I'll see you s-soon. Okay?" Hiccup's voice faltered.

God, did Jack love Hiccup's stutter. It always warmed him to see the boy act so flustered. If it had been a few weeks ago, Jack would have taken it as a hint that Hiccup might have been interested. But after Hiccup's reactions to both drunken nights, Jack knew not to push his luck. "Okay. See ya," Jack said at last and hung up his phone. It was at that instant when a knock rapped on his door.

Jack opened it and saw that it was his mother. What perfect timing! "Hey, mom. Uh, can we talk about something?"

"Can it wait until after your father leaves?" She sounded tired. "He'll be here in an hour. Just... try to be nice, okay?"

Oh, this was bad. Jack couldn't believe what he was hearing. His father had already met Hiccup once, but that was at college. If he saw the same boy at his very house, his father was sure to snap. Not to mention that _somehow_ his mother was okay with the abusive ex-husband showing up out of the blue. "What? M-my─? Why's he coming here?" Jack hadn't mentioned about his father's surprise visit to the college to his mother. Now he wished he had. His father was just going to show up, and his mother wasn't going to do anything?

"Look, I know you and your father don't exactly see things the same way," she began. _Understatement of the century._ "But he really wants to see you and Sophie again. He's been trying really hard and─ who knows? He might have changed, Jack," the hope in her voice was unmistakable. She still believed he might take her back and they would be a family again. But Jack knew his father would try to kick him out a second time. On the other hand, Jack was older, slightly stronger, now. He would refuse anything from the man who'd told him he was a failure and less-than-human and a sinner.

"Tell him he can turn around and head back to the hole he crawled out of," Jack's threat hung low. "He hurt me, don't you remember? Why don't either of you remember? That day I came home from school and told you guys what I felt? He tried to put me in _therapy_ , Mom. He thought I was _sick_. He said I was making bad decisions and was going to become a drop out and a deadbeat. Don't you─ don't you think he _still thinks that way?_ He's just going to make you come back to him and then he'll kick me out again. Did he tell you that he came to the university the other weekend, Mom? He marched right into my dorm room and attacked me. And you think he just wants to come over and _hang out?_ "

"Jack," his mother put a hand on her hip: the standard I'm-your-mother-and-you'll-do-as-I-say look, "it's possible he was drunk, sweetie. Just give him a chance."

 _That doesn't excuse his behavior!_ Jack bit back an angry reply when he realized he'd have to apply the same sentence to his drunken behavior as well. "But─"

His mother held up a finger to his lips. "No butts, Jack. Clean up. And maybe wear a hat or something." How was he supposed to tell her about Hiccup now? _Oh, hey, mom? One more thing: this guy I've been crushing on who is also my roommate but not my boyfriend just broke up with his girlfriend and his father possibly kicked him out so he needs a place to stay until tomorrow and he's coming here around the same time Dad is. But that'll all be okay, right? Especially since Dad punched me for admitting I didn't like girls and now I'll have a guy over for the night?_ Jack realized that he was starting to sound like Hiccup. He raked his hands through his white hair and groaned after his mother shut the door. His hair also wouldn't help. Jack ran to his phone and tried to call Hiccup again, but he wasn't answering. He texted frantically and called again, but to no avail: Hiccup was driving fast and wouldn't be bothered to take his eyes off the road even for a second. If he was going to get there fast, he wanted to get there alive. Jack could do nothing but wait and see if Hiccup would get his voicemail.

* * *

Hiccup slowed down as the GPS told him he was entering the town of Burgess. It was dark out now, and he felt guilty about showing up at such a later hour. So much for a first impression. As Hiccup stopped at a light, he wondered what Jack's family was like. He knew from various stories that his sister was an obvious favorite and that his mother was a hard-working single mother. He also knew that Jack's father wasn't around, and after last Friday, Hiccup could see why. Despite there being no other vehicles on the road, the light was still red. It was odd that there were no cars, but apparently Burgess was smaller than he thought. Hiccup took this time to turn his phone back on. He didn't like to drive with distractions. Immediately after it powered up, the tone went off on full blast, signaling that he had a voicemail. Cursing the Gods, Hiccup put the phone to his ear and listened closely.

"Hiccup, damn it! I know you're probably going a hundred miles an hour down an empty interstate, but you've got to slow down and answer your phone! It's, uh, really important. Just..." Jack paused and Hiccup could tell that he was pacing, "just park up the road, okay? The gas station's fine. The road to my house has had a lot of rain recently and there's a lot of mud and I don't think your car's gonna make it. I'll meet you there, okay?"

 _Oh, no._ Hiccup didn't like the apprehensiveness in Jack's voice. Something didn't sound right, and he didn't think it was about the road. Still, Jack was expecting an answer and Hiccup didn't want the poor boy to stress out. Having a roommate─ who was arguing with you last time you saw him─ stay the night after breaking up with their girlfriend wasn't exactly a natural scenario. Especially not with the tension that was sure to be felt. Hiccup admitted that he was silently dreading this night, but at the same time the butterflies in his stomach wouldn't stop fluttering where they shouldn't. It didn't help that Jack hadn't mentioned which gas station, but after driving aimlessly around the town and sending a message to Jack saying that he was there, he concluded that there was only one gas station in the whole town. Good thing, too, because he'd wasted a lot of gas in coming this far north. Hiccup figured he may as well fill up the car while he waited for Jack.

As he finished paying for the gas pump, his phone buzzed. Hiccup took it out and read the message.

 _JACK: hold put ill be there s_

Hiccup stared at his phone's screen for what seemed like eternity while the pump filled the car with gas. The message was clearly sent in haste, but no other message was sent in addition. Hiccup slowly tapped out some question marks and put the phone back in his pocket. The pump clicked and he took the nozzle out of the chamber. He'd spent almost thirty dollars on gas, but that didn't seem so bad. Hiccup wasn't thinking too hard about money at the moment, anyway. He kept checking his phone, but no new messages came through. Worry crept through Hiccup's mind and he debating driving the rest of the way to the house despite Jack's warning about mud. Hiccup climbed back into his car and parked it in the more concealed lot across from the station so that he could get the GPS to show him the rest of the route. There was a dirt road just off of the gas station and at the end, by some sort of pond, was Jack's house.

With the car idling, Hiccup drummed his fingers on the top of the steering wheel. Maybe he was just being a little jumpy. Jack could just be excited to see Hiccup again. Or nervous, like Hiccup was. What was he even going to say to Jack? Hiccup realized that during the entire ride down, he'd never once thought about how he was going to tell Jack all of the things that had been tearing his mind apart or the fact that Jack was more special to him than Hiccup thought he could admit. Sweat was beginning to drip down his forehead and he let his head fall onto the steering wheel, accidentally hitting the horn and jolting himself back upright. He swore under his breath and smacked the wheel, reeling with indecision about his next step. Seeing that Jack still hadn't answered nor shown up, Hiccup turned the car off and got out. He locked it and stuffed the key in his jacket pocket. He had to go to Jack. Something was definitely not right.

Hiccup glanced down the street and ran across to the dirt road. There were few streetlights down this road, and the dirt did look to be a little muddy. The sight gave Hiccup a slight bout of reassurance, but not much. Taking a deep breath and puffing out his chest, he started marching down the road. The trees grew on both sides, draping over the dirt and puddles and dappling the streetlight's harsh light. Hiccup glanced upward and saw that there was a full moon closer to the horizon. It was early for the night, but the moon was already casting dim light on the path ahead. Hiccup slowed his pace when he couldn't see the paved road anymore and hunched his shoulders faintly. The air was a little chilly, although it was still early in the fall. The shadows amongst the trees appeared to shift underneath the wavering moonlight and Hiccup had to confess that this place was absolutely creepy. Perhaps in the daylight it would be better, maybe even pretty with the trees' leaves changing colors. But right now it was downright scary.

After what seemed like ages, Hiccup saw several houses in the distance. There wasn't a pond in sight as far as he could tell, however, so Hiccup urged past them without looking for fear that something would look back at him. He hurried down until he was out of view from the houses and checked his phone. The screen was unnaturally bright and Hiccup had to squint in order to see. There were still no messages. Hiccup sent another text in the hope that Jack had just forgotten to reply or some other silly reason he knew the white-haired by was capable of. He stopped walking and waited for the phone to send the message. There was little service out here and Hiccup speculated that it may have been the reason Jack wasn't replying. But it didn't explain why Jack's original message had been so hasty.

There was a rustling in the bushes to his right and Hiccup jumped backward, pointing his phone's screen toward the noise. Out of the side of the road popped up a gray rabbit, looking at the boy curiously but without fear. Hiccup was frozen in place waiting for his heart to stop beating out of his chest. He relaxed and knelt down in the middle of the road, holding his hand out toward the creature.

"Hey, little guy," Hiccup cooed, "what're you doing out here all alone? Don't you have family to get to? To keep safe?" Hiccup said as he thought about his current situation with his father. Hiccup was sure he'd want him to be safe and mulled over the thought of calling him to say that he was okay. It didn't seem to the best time because Hiccup still didn't have any definitive answers for his questioning father, however, so he decided against it. Hiccup's mind then wandered, not for the first time, to Jack and Jack's father. What had happened between them? The rabbit ignored the boy and hopped off. Hiccup shook his head and stood up, finally realizing he'd tried talking to a rabbit.

"Hiccup?"A whisper sifted into Hiccup's ears and he yelped in surprise. He spun around only to have his prosthetic catch on a stone and cause him to trip onto the ground, his palm splashing in a puddle next to him.

A small laugh escaped from the shadows. Hiccup's heart raced but his body refused to move. Then a person's silhouette materialized and Hiccup swore that his heart started beating _faster_. Jack was slightly crouched and his pale features were cautious in the moonlight despite the smile appearing on his lips. The boy was clad in a simple blue tee and very familiar brown pants─ not to mention barefoot. But he was also wearing a cap, which made Hiccup debate on whether or not this was actually Jack. The entirety of his hair was invisible, but Hiccup swore he could see the white hair playing off the faded light of the moon. In that moment, Hiccup comprehended just how much he had missed Jack. Looking at him now, even with next to no light around them, he saw that the smaller boy was the Jack that he'd never thought he'd see again. It was a stupid thought, but Hiccup couldn't help feeling overwhelmed by it as Jack's bright blue eyes seemed to glow in the dark. Every word he'd exchanged with Astrid and his father today, no matter how hard to swallow they had been, was completely and entirely worth it. The churning in Hiccup's stomach returned, but this time he recognized it as fondness─ no, something more. Blinking, he recognized Jack's hand being held out to help him up. Hiccup took it, feeling the cool, supple skin against his calloused fingers and pulled his body up so that he was standing in front of Jack, closer than normal. They stared at each other for slightly longer than they should have and Hiccup broke away from it out of embarrassment.

"H-hey─ uh, Jack. What took you so long? Not─ not that I'm complaining. I-it─ it's just─ your text─ well, really the voicemail─ it was a little... concerning." Hiccup didn't know when to stop talking, but Jack's shy, lopsided grin shut him up. "Wh-what?"

"Nothing," Jack answered, suddenly serious again, "but we need to get going. My father ended up coming back home for a... visit," Jack spat the word out like it was poison. "It's sort of the reason for the hat. I hate it." Hiccup wanted to say how he didn't like not seeing Jack's hair, either, but the words were caught in his throat. Jack took his wrist without waiting for a response and tugged Hiccup down the road, close to the trees. "What happened to your car?" Jack asked with an attempt at a sly grin on his face. Hiccup hardly heard that question.

"Wait! Your father? You mean the guy that punched you? Aren't your parents divorced? Don't you guys have a─ a restraining order or something?" Hiccup couldn't imagine why such a scary guy would ever be allowed back into their home. With the way he treated Jack, Hiccup told himself he'd make sure that man kept his hands off of Jack. If he had to steal Jack away from this place, he would. But then where would they go? Hiccup stopped that idea as soon as it appeared. Jack didn't even know what Hiccup was here for─ not that Hiccup really knew, either─ and it wouldn't end well. And what about the rest of Jack's family? Did his father treat them all the way he had Jack?

"Mom's too soft-hearted," Jack whispered over his shoulder as he quickly tiptoed onward, "and she'd take in the extra income if she could. She'd take him back if it meant that Sophie would have a better life." Jack didn't mention the hypothetical changes to his life that would have occurred. They both knew better.

"How is your sister, by the way? You always said so much about her," Hiccup tried to calm Jack down, mainly because his prosthetic couldn't keep up with Jack's urgency. Maybe if he got Jack to talk about his sister, he would slow his pace and just talk.

Hiccup was right. Jack's footsteps became fewer, lighter. Hiccup felt Jack's cold grip on his wrist lessen imperceptibly. "She's doing well. She smiles all the time. She even asked about you."

"You told her about me?" Hiccup was surprised. Jack seemed to have been distraught over recent events and didn't look to have taken too kindly to their fight. But, if that was true and Jack had talked about him anyway, Hiccup was concerned about what Jack had said.

"Well, she asked about my roommate, but it was the same thing," Jack didn't really answer his question. The past tense in the sentence was emphasized, and Hiccup wanted to start apologizing and spilling his guts on the spot. But there was something Jack wasn't telling him. Jack must have realized that he was holding Hiccup's wrist still, because he let go hesitantly and walked on. Hiccup already missed the touch and followed Jack as closely as he could while they walked. Jack's last words hung in the silent air like mist, covering Hiccup in confusion. What did Jack say about him to his little sister?

A few minutes of agonizing quietness later and Hiccup saw a small cabin come into view. There were two cars parked in front: a small car with rusted and chipped paint and a tall black truck. Hiccup took a wild guess at who owned which. He was expecting Jack to take him up to the front door and formally introduce his roommate, but Jack veered to the left and motioned for Hiccup to do the same. Many of the lights were on in the house and Hiccup could hear the faint murmur and light laughter of conversation. All sounded well in there, but the more important detail was that Jack was hiding Hiccup. He had to admit that the prospect was somewhat enticing in the back of his mind. But this was _not_ the way Hiccup would have wanted something like that to happen. Too many unfortunate problems plagued the circumstances. Jack crouched low, nearly crawling, and steered clear of the rays of light shining on the overgrown lawn. Hiccup ended up crawling with his prosthetic dragging in more blades of grass than he thought were even on the ground around here. He was so focused on staying silent that he hadn't noticed that Jack had crawled to the right. Hiccup's left hand plunged into dark, cold water and he yelped before he could do anything about it.

The voices stopped. Hiccup froze in place as he saw several shadows come closer to the windows. Jack's hands grabbed Hiccup and tossed him underneath the windows as he slimmed up against the side of the house. Hiccup did the same without asking any questions because he most certainly did not want to get caught. He heard the windows open and swore that everyone in the town could hear his labored breath. Hiccup turned his head slowly to look at Jack. Jack widened his eyes and shook his head slightly, bringing a slim finger to his lips. _Didn't plan on it,_ Hiccup responded mentally. The windows closed again and before Hiccup could relax, Jack was already around the other side of the house.

"Wait up!" Hiccup hissed as he tiptoed faster to catch up. "What was that?"

"That was the pond you were about to drown yourself in!" Jack's annoyed voice strained to stay below a whisper. "Stay close."

"Mind telling me what we're doing sneaking around _your_ house?" Hiccup didn't understand all the secrecy. It wasn't like it was some romantic tryst or anything─ Hiccup cut that thought off and crawled a little faster to keep up with the boy.

"Look," Jack turned to Hiccup without warning, their faces dangerously close. Jack's blue eyes glared at him underneath the lighting of another window and Hiccup could see even the slightest features in this light. Or maybe he was daydreaming. Either way, Hiccup wasn't complaining. "Look," Jack said again, "I'll tell you everything, okay? In exchange for you telling me what happened between you and Astrid and your father today. But can it wait until we at least get back inside and my father leaves? We were in the middle of a game when I said I had to go to the bathroom. I'm short on time as it is. My bedroom's over there," Jack pointed to a set of windows ajar at the edge of the back side of the house, "so just climb in and─ I don't know─ make yourself comfortable. Hide in the closet or something." Hiccup rolled his eyes; coming out of _two_ closets at once in one night didn't seem very appealing. "I'll be back as soon as I can," Jack tried to assure him.

But Hiccup wasn't expecting to be ditched by Jack as soon as he was picked up. He really hoped Jack didn't date like this─ the thought was yet again cut off as Hiccup tried to focus on the task in front of him. "Alright," Hiccup agreed shakily. He still didn't like the prospect that Jack's father had come back onto the scene so suddenly and Jack's distressed voicemail didn't help. "I'll─ uh, I'll see you s-soon?"

Jack's smile brightened even in the darkness. "You said that already. Just keep low, okay?" Jack ruffled Hiccup's hair and was gone in an instant. The emptiness surrounding Hiccup felt claustrophobic. He looked up and saw that Jack was disappearing into the slim bathroom window. That must hurt. Hiccup debated the perimeters of the window and wondered how Jack fit through it comfortably as he did. Or maybe it wasn't comfortable. Maybe it was just the pain the white-haired boy was willing to go through to protect someone.

Too bad Hiccup believed Jack was the one that needed protecting.

* * *

 **A/N: See! I told you Jack's father was coming back! Too bad I left his actual dialogue for the next chapter. ;) Don't worry, though. I have the next chapter ready, I just need to finish up editing and such. And work on my other fics that haven't had updates in forever. Oops. Yay for bad planning! :D**

 **Have a good day/night! :)**


	7. Converging Roads

**A/N: Hey, guys! So... I'm sorry that this chapter is going to be a bit more dialogue-based than most. I'll also apologize in advance for how dark this story is about to get. I'll probably have to change the summary (any suggestions, please pm me! I'm always questioning my summaries). Granted, you won't see the worst of it in this chapter, but that doesn't discount this chapter, either. I've never been the one to write lighthearted stuff. But that doesn't mean I don't have my moments. :)**

 **Thanks for all of the faves/follows/reviews! I'm so glad you're loving this story, because I love writing it (well, and hate it, too. I really just want to push 'em together and scream NOW KISS! but I can't do that yet).**

 **Also, I broke my thing about the chapters always starting with "Jack..." Woops! Oh well, at least the chapter's long!**

 **Please read, review, and enjoy! :)**

* * *

 **Converging Roads**

* * *

Hiccup was glad that Jack's house was only one storey high. It made clambering through his window at eight in the evening without anyone knowing much easier. On the other and, he was hyper aware of his prosthetic clinking against the side of the house. He had been trying to swing his leg in so that he didn't have to fall face-first onto the wooden floor, but perhaps his fake leg had other ideas. Hiccup gracelessly tumbled into the room in an attempt to not make a sound, his feet and hands going every which way. As his body came to a rest, he bit his tongue with baited breath, waiting for any hint of a reaction from his surroundings. Upon hearing and feeling nothing, Hiccup's shoulders slouched and he put a hand on his good leg to push his body up. Jack's room was simple, much like his side of the dorm room had been. The walls were mostly bare, but there were some frames up containing childish drawings above a dresser with a small box TV. A smile formed on the edge of his lips as he walked closer to them. These must be Sophie's drawings. The fact that Jack kept them─ and even framed them─ had an endearing quality about it. Hiccup knew that Jack was good with children and very childish himself, but this was so sweet that Hiccup just stared, his eyes taking in the skating adventures and the snowball scenes. They were mostly in the winter. It was really a shame that most of the winter would be taken from them because of Jack going to college. Hiccup promised that he would drive them up to visit the college sometime for Jack's sake. He knew all too well that they wouldn't make it up on their own, not without spending money they didn't have.

Hiccup turned around, noting that the room was smaller than Jack's half of the dorm room─ and that meant something. The foot of Jack's twin bed wasn't two steps from the wall where Hiccup had been looking at the pictures. It was messily covered by a patchwork quilt and several thin sheets while the pillow was sideways at the top by the headboard. Hiccup was somewhat pleased by the fact that Jack didn't bother to change his habits around a new person─ it showed that he was comfortable with himself. And yet, the past couple weeks had been anything but. And with whatever was going on now... Hiccup felt overwhelmed by the influx of emotions and collapsed onto the bed with his elbows on his knees and his hands covering his face.

What was he going to tell Jack? _Hey, so, I'm gay now. I mean, I was before, but it took me several stupid ideas to figure it out. I hope you're not mad that I basically kicked you out. I basically got kicked out, too, so we're even, right?_ Hiccup groaned and lowered his head, threading his stiff fingers into his hair. It didn't sound complicated, but he had no idea how to get these words out. He wasn't even sure if Jack _was_ gay. All of this had been on the assumption that he was, but Hiccup realized just then that he'd never said it outright. The incidents could have easily been explained as drunken mistakes, and sure, Hiccup had said that they were. But Jack had never defended himself. Even when Hiccup blew up in his face and tried to argue with the boy, Jack became mute and reticent. It frustrated Hiccup at the time, but now it only made him feel incredible guilt. He shouldn't have assaulted Jack like he had, and Astrid arguing with him right after only caused him to do worse. But he couldn't really blame Astrid. She had gotten the sour end of the deal in all aspects. But if it weren't for her, oddly enough, Hiccup wouldn't have figured out what he did and he most certainly wouldn't be in Jack's very bedroom at the moment. But even if this was a nice turn of events, there was still the fact that he was hiding and Jack's father was a few mere paces away. Only a wall or two possibly separated them, and much less between Jack's father and Jack. Hiccup hated that─ and he never used the word hate.

A sudden gasp was heard in front of him and Hiccup looked up to find a small, brown-haired girl with wide brown eyes staring at him. This must be Sophie. When did the door even open? And did they have to meet like this? Hiccup felt himself begin to sweat. "Wait, no!" he whispered hastily, "I'm a friend of Jack's! I'm his roommate, Hiccup! I can..." Hiccup's eyes glanced around, taking in his situation, "I cannot explain why I'm here," he ended unsettlingly.

Sophie's eyes remained wide as she lowered her defenses. "You're... Jack's roommate?" Then something dawned on the little girl's face and Hiccup braced himself. "Oh! He told me about you! Jack doesn't really hang out with a lot of people. But he said you were cool. He also said you were cute, but he didn't tell me you were missing a foot!" Sophie giggled as she pointed to Hiccup's prosthetic.

Hiccup glanced down at his foot and prosthetic. He was fairly used to it, but he kept forgetting that there would always be people who gawked. The people at college knew him and it was old news by now. His hometown, Berk, was the same way. It took him a moment to realize that Sophie had probably never seen an amputee in her little lifetime. "H-hey," Hiccup was half-laughing and half-scolding, "wait. He called me what?" Did he really hear that?

"Yeah, he tells me _eeeeverything_ ," Sophie bragged, "and don't worry─ you're still cute, even if you're missing a foot. But why are you here?"

"W-well," Hiccup sucked in a breath, "I don't really─ it's sort of like─ okay, look. No one knows I'm here, okay?"

"Does Jack know you're here?" Sophie started to get excited. Wasn't she worried _at all_ by the fact that there was a stranger in her brother's bedroom? "I can go tell him─"

"No─ I mean, yes! Yes, he knows I'm here."

"Oh... but I know, too."

Hiccup shook his head. "Yes, you do, but─"

"But Mommy and Daddy don't kn─"

"That's right! That's right, Sophie. And let's keep it that way, al-alright?" Hiccup desperately hoped he could trust Jack's little sister, but it was hard to tell. She was really chatty and he wasn't sure if he could stop her from accidentally saying something to the others. And it wasn't like he could just keep her in here like some kind of hostage. Jack said he would take care of everything. But then what would happen after that? Would Hiccup just stay hidden through the night? How was that ever going to fix itself?

Sophie was about to agree, nodding her head, when someone's shadow came closer to the door. Upon seeing this, Sophie motioned for Hiccup to hide behind the door. Without question, he bolted for cover just as Jack's mother walked onto the scene.

"Sweetie? Are you okay?" She lay her hands on Sophie's shoulders. "Did you find it? You know Jack doesn't really like you going into his room."

Hiccup swore that they could hear his shallow breaths beat against the grain of the door, but apparently not. He prayed to the gods that Sophie could lie. She _was_ Jack's sister, so Hiccup didn't see why not.

"Look! Jack left his windows open!" Sophie hopped up and down nervously. "I thought I saw a bear!" She gasped. "What if he comes in? He'll roar and chase after us and we'll have to runaway and then the bear's gonna take over the house as his own! I'll lose all my toys!" Hiccup had a chuckle wavering on his lips. It wasn't a terrible lie, but it wasn't the best. It was really more comedic than anything, and so Hiccup struggled to keep himself still. He saw Sophie go further into the room but refuse to look at him.

"Well, we can't let that happen! Let's close it so he can't get in," Jack's mother walked into view and toward the window, a spike of fear escalating through Hiccup's limbs. If she turned around a certain way, he would be as good as dead. Hiccup tried to shrink further back into the shadows but found that he'd run out of room. He saw Sophie wave him out, however, and Hiccup hesitated. She pointed toward the bottom of the bed sharply and glared at him harder. _Now_ , she was mouthing.

Not needing more hints, Hiccup sidled out from behind the door and tiptoed to the bed, ducking and rolling underneath with utmost care. His heartbeat was all he could hear and the adrenaline was enough to make him puke. His hands flew up to the wooden frame and he gripped it until his knuckles gleamed white. He'd kept his metal leg up in the air for most of the maneuver with the hopes that he wouldn't make any unnecessary noises and give himself away because of the damn thing. He lifted his left leg and rested it upon his right so that he wouldn't be tempted to let it rest on the floor and make a sound. He peered down his body to the foot of the bed to see Jack's mother and Sophie leaving the room. Hiccup shifted his weight slightly to peer out of the side of the bed, hiding behind a section of hanging quilt. Sophie, before leaving his field of vision, looked back to him and winked.

He was safe for now. He was stuck underneath Jack's bed without Jack around, but he was safe.

* * *

Jack sat at the kitchen table─ a ratted fold-out card table, actually─ across from his sister and in between his mother and father. Jack still couldn't imagine how they'd ever been happy together long enough to conceive him. But perhaps things had been different before then. Yet another reason to blame himself for the rift in the family.

They were playing a game of Sorry. It was a painfully obvious choice made by his father, but it didn't help that it was one of Sophie's favorites. When they'd played the other night, Sophie was ruthless in sending Jack's pieces and Jack's pieces only back to the start. She wouldn't hurt mom's pieces since she was having a hard time getting her pieces out of the gate to begin with, but Jack had been close to winning on several turns. It was only fair, she'd told him. And while he'd been laughing them, he couldn't help but feel something entirely different now. Sophie was still sending him backwards every chance she got, but now their father was, too. It was none too subtle to Jack, but he doubted that his mother or sister noticed. The tension at the table was only felt between Jack and his father, and he knew it was only a matter of time before his father brought up the question of moving back in. Jack knew that he couldn't say anything─ it would spoil everything for Sophie. He wanted to keep his sister happy, and if she wanted her father to come back, Jack would just have to figure something out. He wasn't sure if Sophie understood when Jack talked about these things with her what viewpoint she took. Her perspectives were still so naive and innocent that he wanted to preserve them for as long as he could. Whatever's out there knew that he couldn't stay that way himself, no matter how childish he let himself be.

"─kay?" The words appeared suddenly in the midst of Jack's thoughts.

"What?" Jack turned to his father. The man still had that disgusting false grin plastered on his face and his light brown─ nearly yellow─ eyes were still staring unsettlingly.

"I said, 'that was a long time.' In the bathroom. You okay?" That damned look on his face wouldn't go away.

Jack swallowed his pride and joined in the second game. "Yeah, just fine," Jack muttered as he adjusted the cap on his head again. His mother had given him the hat just before his father came in the door so that he could hide his stark white hair. It wasn't until they'd greeted each other again that his father remarked how the hat had been his and that he must have forgotten it. The way he'd said it led on to the idea Jack had that his father was planning on moving back in so that he wouldn't keep "forgetting" things. Jack immediately wanted to tear off the hat and peg it into the ground in disgust, but he had clenched his fist and pretended that it wasn't a big deal. It wasn't so much that his father's head had been under this same fabric. It was more like Jack was afraid his father would get the false hope that Jack was "changing himself" and becoming more like him. Jack would never give him that satisfaction.

His mother and sister were happily oblivious when they sat back down at the table. Sophie was roaring like some kind of cute little bear cub and a smile crept onto Jack's face. His sister was so innocent. But as soon as they sat down, she began to kick at his legs. Jack jerked back on instinct at first, but then she kept doing it. Jack's eyes darted to hers without moving his head. He tilted the eyebrow that his father couldn't see. He reminded his mom that it was her turn in time to see Sophie smile as she moved her eyes from Jack to the corner of the house where his room was located. She kicked his leg and looked over that way again and raised her eyebrows twice. Jack's stomach felt a weight grow in the bottom, pulling him so far down that he wished he could just hide. Sophie knew Hiccup was here. Jack knew that his secret was in danger when he'd allowed Sophie to go and get his phone in his room─ which it wasn't. He had just made the excuse for himself to leave the table again when his father had commented on how he'd just gotten back from the bathroom. Jack couldn't help himself. He wanted to see Hiccup and make sure he was okay. The situation was delicate right now, but he was forced to let Sophie go into his room instead. Sophie, taking her turn, told him that she couldn't find the phone, but Jack shrugged it off. No big deal, no big loss. At least she wasn't spilling the secret. He could do that once his father left.

The game continued in silence until Jack's father began to take his turn. "So, how's school been?" The uncharacteristic sense of care coming from the man to his right was almost unbearable.

"Well so far," Jack answered curtly as he drew a card for his turn. Backward four, _again._ Maybe if he got this card every time he'd be able to win, but he'd never gotten to move farther than five paces the entire game. It also didn't help that he was getting sent back to the beginning almost every turn he was out on the board. He was normally good at this game─ as he was with all games─ but tonight just wasn't his night. He didn't feel like having fun.

"Been to any... parties?" Jack's last piece had clacked one last time on the board by the time his father had finished the question. He knew it was a trap. He wasn't sure how, but he knew. Besides, what else did adults think happened at college parties?

"I have," Jack admitted nonchalantly, "but it's none of your business. I can take responsibility for myself." Even if he really hadn't, at least he'd tried. Of course, that had ended up with him losing his roommate. Except said roommate was hiding in his room as they spoke, and Jack wasn't entirely sure about what was going on. Hiccup didn't explain himself at all. Not that Jack really questioned it; he was just glad to see the charming brunet again. He hadn't imagined that it would happen like this, but wishes are finicky things.

"Funny, that's not what you said when you came out five years ago." There he went again. Jack's hands clawed at the table and clenched into tight fists. His teeth were grit and he really tried to ignore it.

"This really isn't a conversation to have right now, Hon." Jack caught onto the term as he looked to his mother. She probably meant well, but it was only propelling the start of the argument.

"Mom's right," Jack tried to steer the talk back to the game, "that's an entirely different situation, _Dad._ " God, did Jack despise using that name.

"Really?" His father wasn't letting it go. Not this time. He never would. "Because they both involve you making bad choices."

Sophie was taking her turn, not paying attention. Jack wish he'd taken more consideration into her well being when he slammed his fists onto the table and stood up. "It's not a choice! It's part of who I am and I can't change that," Jack was keeping his voice level but he knew it wouldn't be long before his father pushed his buttons again.

"Boys, can we please stop? This is pointless arguing about the past," his mother butted in again, stepping between the two men with her hands resting on each person's shoulder. Jack breathed in an attempt to facilitate some sort of relief, but the thickness in the air didn't lessen its grasp.

"You can't change sickness, either, Jack." His father's sickening grin disappeared. This was somehow much worse. "But it can be cured."

"There's nothing to cure!" Jack pushed past his mother's warnings and stood in front of his father, who had also stood up and was much taller.

The man didn't back down. His eyes laughed at the boy beneath him. But then an abrupt push sent Jack back a few steps. Jack's glare faced downward and softened at the recognition of his sister. She was facing their father with her arms open wide. "Stop!" she whined. "There's nothing wrong with Jack!"

Their father's expression changed as soon as he saw Sophie. Jack didn't want to admit it, but Sophie had a way of doing that to people. Jack had never been the exception. The man crouched down to her level without looking up to Jack. "Oh, sweetie. He's been telling you lies, hasn't he?"

Jack snapped out of his daze and herded Sophie over to their mother. "Leave Sophie out of this!" Jack warned through thin lips, hoping that his mother and sister wouldn't see how close he was to breaking.

But he hadn't realized that his father had broken the boundaries. Jack was shoved backward, tripping on his chair in the process and falling helplessly to the floor. He heard his mother yell at them to stop and Sophie begin to tear up, but Jack was focused on the man leering above him. He had to leave. Jack crawled away until he could stand up. "You don't want to─"

He was cut off as a fist came into contact with his chin. Jack reeled to the side and slammed into the wall, holding his jaw in shock. Then he saw his hat fall to the floor, exposing his white hair. His father's face became a storm of hatred. Jack was about to look up again when his feet were brought out from under him and the man claiming to be his father brought his face closer so that they were inches apart.

"You're a poison to this family, Jack! You thought you could go against everything that makes you human and bring them down with you? Look at what you did! You tore the family apart! Sophie doesn't have a father in the house to teach her the things she should really know! She doesn't need your sinful example as a role model! She needs a real father. You refused help when I offered it to you. Now I'm giving you the help you need. You can go to the psychologist and to the doctor, but I don't think you'll learn anything now. That diseased brain of yours is too set in its ways!"

Jack was seething with anger and injustice, grabbing at his father's hands that were so close to his neck. "Stop talking about yourself, old man," Jack spat out. "I told you, I'm not sick. There's nothing wrong with me. It changes nothing about me, about who I am as a person. It shouldn't matter at all! Aren't you supposed to love unconditionally? Or is that just some junk they fill our heads with? Because look at what you're doing to them, not just me. Don't you see─"

"Enough!" Jack's father backhanded Jack across the face. He knew instantly that blood had been drawn, no doubt by the wedding ring that his father still wore. Figures. That man was always one for tradition. It made sense that he'd be doing this now despite the change in the times. A few more slaps and Jack's face was numb and probably littered with scratches and burning red but he didn't care. He could see Sophie out of the corner of his eye, fearful and trying to hide inside their mother's embrace. But his mother wasn't doing anything to stop this. Jack thought it was unfair as another hand came across his face, but deep down he knew that his mother could do little in this situation. She was still technically married to him and she would never lay a hand on anyone. This was all up to Jack. And Jack couldn't fight back. He'd be brought to court and he'd be found guilty. Jack was never the winner. He faintly dodged the last hit and it grazed his lips, causing a trickle of blood to fall onto his only tee he had left. Ignoring it, he pushed against his father and scurried away again before standing up. His head spun from the quick motion and he was starting to feel sick, but he couldn't let this man stay here.

"You're not welcome here," Jack was leaning onto a chair to support his weight, "go."

The man laughed and turned to his wife and daughter. "Do you hear him, Helen? He's trying to act like he's man of the house! He's speaking up against you _and_ me," he turned back to Jack and slowly uttered, "and that's not what good boys do to their parents."

"You're not my father," Jack took another step back as his father loomed, "a real father loves his children. Isn't that what they preach? You would know," Jack, despite the dull throb in his brain, stood a little taller.

With that provocation, his father lunged at him only to knock into something else. Both parties looked down to find that Sophie had gotten out of Mom's grasp and was trying to defend her brother again. In the heat of the moment and the blinding anger of their father, Sophie was shoved backward against a kitchen counter below where the knife block teetered. Jack stared in fear at Sophie, whose tears were brimming and falling down her cheeks. Jack was torn between running to her and socking the man in the face. He didn't have to decide, however, because the man already had him pinned over the sink and was starting to hit him all over again, telling him how he'd hurt his sister and this and that and Jack began to tire...

* * *

Hiccup heard the yells through the thin walls of the bedroom and latched onto the door's handle the instant that he'd heard something fall. But he couldn't just rush into things. He knew that would only make it worse. He listened for a long, agonizing minute before deciding that Jack was truly in danger. He bit his lip and opened the door, ready to step out when he saw that Sophie was standing in front of him. Her forehead had a sizeable bump and tears had streaked trails down to her chin. Hiccup was beyond alarmed. How could anyone hurt a small child like this? He could hear a fight going on somewhere in the right side of the house and he was itching to move past the girl to help out. But she tugged at his pants leg and looked up at him pleadingly.

"Hiccup! Jack and Daddy are fighting and they won't stop and I'm scared!" The last part of the sentence broke her voice and Hiccup nearly lost it. This only affirmed his growing suspicion and he wanted to jump in and help. On the other hand, Hiccup wasn't sure if he'd make it better or worse.

He had to think of something and he had to do so quickly. He wasn't sure if Jack could hold his own, especially against such a man. The one time Hiccup had seen him was the last time he'd ever hoped to see such a menacing figure. The sight of the man chilled him to the bone; he couldn't fathom how Jack was _fighting_ the guy. He wanted so greatly to run in and whisk the boy away, but he couldn't leave Sophie or even their mother alone with this kind of guy. But how could he get them away?

"Look, my car is parked at the end of the road in town, next to the gas station. Do you think you can walk all that way?" It was a long shot, but if he could get the little sister away from danger, perhaps then he could engage in the fight. "But we have to hurry. You want to help Jack, right?"

Sophie nodded obediently. "But how is running away going to help?"

"I'll come back for him. But you know he wouldn't want you to get hurt, do you?"

Sophie mumbled agreement and took Hiccup's hand. "Let's get going!" She was pulling him out into the main part of the house where the fight could be heard more clearly. The sounds of punches, slaps, and kicks could be heard and Hiccup was starting to lose focus. He wanted to help Jack... but he knew Jack would want his sister safe first and foremost.

"Wait! We can't go out that way," Hiccup tried to keep his voice light but it wasn't convincing, "we can't be seen! How about we go out the window? We can run around the back, but you'll have to show me where we're going. I'm pretty clumsy with this fake leg."

Sophie couldn't help but giggle at Hiccup's frail attempt to joke. She held his hand a little tighter and pulled him toward the window before he was ready. Hiccup twisted his prosthetic and had to hop the rest of the way to the window and unlatch it before he could fix his leg. After doing so, he hoisted the little girl up to the window. She was scared about jumping but Hiccup didn't have the finesse that Jack did, so he hopped onto the window sill with her and told her they would jump together. At the count of three, Hiccup grabbed onto Sophie and leaped to the ground. Sophie shrieked from the excitement and started running off without him. Hiccup called out to her quietly to slow down, but she wasn't listening. "Come on!"

Hiccup picked up his pace as they rounded the side of the house. This time, he avoided the pond and ran until he caught up to the little girl. For someone so small, she sure could run fast. It was probably due to the fact that she played so many running games with Jack. He'd heard that they'd played tag and such almost all the time, so Hiccup figured that Jack would have tried for track and field or something. But such thoughts weren't on his mind currently. He stopped her by tapping on her shoulder as he turned around to watch through dimly lit windows. There was a female voice struggling to find peace─ something Hiccup wished he could be doing. Then there were two shadows that kept switching and throwing and a bunch of other things that Hiccup had never wanted to see in his life. Urging Sophie onward, they made their way down the road.

* * *

Jack did little more than push his father back. He didn't know what was wrong with him, but he couldn't fight the guy. Everything he tried backfired and sent him into some wall or object, shooting pain through his body. He would raise his arms to block, but they only lasted a few hits before a sore spot was hit and he was left defenseless again. Where was his sister? Jack thought he'd seen her run towards his room, but he couldn't see much in this tunnel vision. His mother wasn't visible, but she was audible. Jack bit back a yell as his father punched him again, yelling some other nonsense about Jack's inability to be a regular human being. Jack had given up fighting with words. His mind floated to other things.

Things like Hiccup. Was he still in Jack's room? Could he hear all of this? What was he going to do? Jack was afraid that Hiccup wasn't going to help, afraid that Hiccup had decided otherwise and left for home again. The thought of being alone and broken again encouraged tears to sting his eyes and he wanted to collapse then and there. Hiccup had finally come back around and was talking to him again─ even wanted to see him so badly that he couldn't have just waited until tomorrow─ and now this. Jack started to think that maybe there wouldn't be a tomorrow; not if he was left without a family. If his mother had ever thought about kicking him out, surely she was rethinking the decision to let him stay now. She'd never given into his father's hurtful words, but she wasn't entirely resilient, either.

His father angled back to wind up another hit when Jack saw his chance. He shoved his shoulder into his father's chest and started to stumble away, making for his room. Jack swung through the doorway and skidded to a stop. Hiccup and Sophie both were nowhere to be seen. Had they gotten out of the house somehow? The open window attested to the assumption and Jack was momentarily glad. They'd made it out. Jack just had to do the same. But he had to get his mother, too. If the problem wouldn't leave the house, then they would. Jack wasn't sure what they would do afterwards, but his brain was trying to work against the concussion that was sure to hurt like hell in the morning. He ran to the nightstand only to trip and hit his forehead against the corner of it and smack into the floor. Jack's senses shifted around in his consciousness, but he knew he'd grabbed what he came in to find.

The spare car's key.

His father was above him, gripping Jack's shirt and pulling him close before shoving his head into the floor again. Something cracked and Jack nearly blacked out. The procedure occurred several more times until Jack lashed out. His father screamed and the weight was lifted off of Jack. The keys had dug into the man's arm, giving Jack the chance to escape again. He dashed into the kitchen and to the door. Upon being immediately questioned by his mother, he only mentioned that he needed to borrow the car before hurrying out the door with his father close behind.

Jack started the car, put it in reverse, and floored the gas. He spun it around hastily, hitting the fence that was behind him, and shifted again, taking off as fast as he could manage. He hadn't driven in such a long time, however, that he was having a hard time controlling the tires as they tried to turn and swivel with each bump they hit. Jack swore under his breath and kept going. He had a feeling he knew where Hiccup had taken Sophie. When he saw two figures running on the side of the road, Jack pawed haphazardly at his door in order to roll down the passenger windows. They were slow, but it was enough so that when he stopped beside the pair they heard him ordering them inside the car. Hiccup opened Sophie's door first─ a very gentlemanly behavior that Jack secretly adored─ and climbed into the front seat promptly afterward.

"Go! Go!" Hiccup's words echoed the screams inside Jack's throbbing head. The road was twisting and curving in ways that he knew it shouldn't and he felt a hand on his at the steering wheel guiding him. He twisted his head to the passenger side and back to the road, trying to get a good look at Hiccup's expression. His lips were set in a small line and his jaw was tense. He must have sensed that Jack was watching him, though, because he looked to him briefly and tried to smile. When that didn't work, he tried to joke. "And you call me a crazy driver?"

But Jack shook Hiccup's hand away and ignored the joke. "Where's your car, Hiccup? My father doesn't know it and won't be looking for it."

Hiccup looked physically hurt by Jack's response but he recovered. Now was not the time. "In the parking area across from the gas station," he said as he rotated in his seat to check up on Sophie. Jack could hear her sobs and it only drove him on.

"You mean the steam plant lot? I thought I said the gas station. Why is it there?"

Hiccup narrowed his eyes at the white-haired boy. "Agh, what does it matter? It looked less in-the-open."

Jack sighed in relief, slamming the car through another pot hole. "Well, I'm glad you didn't listen to me this time!"

* * *

Jack wasn't Jack. Hiccup saw that his face was cut up and bruised, as were his fragile arms. It pained him to see this boy─ normally so cheerful─ be so serious and... and damaged. Whatever story Jack had, Hiccup doubted it'd ever be able to compete with what they were facing right now. He periodically checked in on Sophie, but she kept insisting that she was fine. Hiccup kept trying to reach for Jack and each time he would stop himself short of reaching his arm. It wasn't long before the paved roads were in sight and the gas station was bathed in harsh fluorescent light. As they drifted raggedly into the darker side of the lot, Hiccup unbuckled prematurely and began opening his door. The car had barely come to a stop when he hopped out and helped Sophie transfer cars. Hiccup ran over to the other side of Jack's car when he realized that Jack hadn't followed.

"Jack, what─ what are you doing?" Hiccup tried to open the door but it was locked. What was this boy thinking? His father was no doubt following them and would probably find them at any minute. Perhaps that was Jack's plan: to be found. Hiccup couldn't have that. "Jack, we need to get out of here! Your father's probably following us as we speak." It was a useless fact, but Hiccup didn't know what else to say.

Jack unlocked the door, disheartened. "We can't just take my sister with us, Hic. She doesn't have anywhere to stay and my mom is─"

"I know, I know! I have a plan, Jack." The sentence forced Jack to snap to attention. It was then that Hiccup was able to see all of the damage as Jack raised himself fitfully from the driver's seat. His body was a rag doll and his features were swollen with blacks and blues already beginning to form. The sight made Hiccup sick to his stomach and he wanted to take Jack into a hug in that instant. But it was not the time or the place for such luxuries. Hiccup ushered Jack over to his car's front passenger seat and ran around to his side. Buckling himself, he checked to make sure everyone else was before turning his car on and played with the GPS in the center console.

"What are you doing? I thought you said you had a plan?" Jack's breaths were rough and his head couldn't be held up by his neck much longer.

"Not really, but you said we couldn't keep Sophie with us, remember?" In reality, he was just fiddling with the buttons on the device. He'd remade most of it on his own, but it didn't like to work as often as it should. _Like, oh, I don't know,_ right _now?_ Hiccup swore under his breath and smacked the screen.

"But I wanna stay with Jack!" Sophie piped up from the back seat, nearly jumping into the front and knocking several contraptions over. Although that's what Hiccup deserved for leaving pieces of his inventions in his car, he was a little peeved.

Then Jack held Sophie's hand in the most loving way Hiccup had ever seen Jack do, and his anger died down. "Sophie, what about mom? She needs a strong girl like you to help her out. Especially so that Dad doesn't come back. You can do that, right?"

Sophie was about to protest but thought better of it. The connection between these two was so strong that Hiccup was jealous that he didn't have a sibling of his own to protect. But maybe when all of this was done, he'd have Jack to protect. The thought cast a smile on his face before he could think any better. Sophie tightened her other hand onto Jack's. "That wasn't Dad. That was a bad, scary guy."

But there was something that threw Hiccup off. "Are you telling me that we're going back there?"

"You've got a better idea?" Jack challenged him. A glimmer of the old, carefree Jack shined in his eyes. Hiccup thought he could do anything if it meant he could keep that flame of Jack's personality alive.

"No, but I've got a crazier one," Hiccup stated, punching something into his GPS (which barely listened before examining the route) and eagerly taking off, sucking everyone into their seats.

Hiccup had seen a different road by the houses he had first run by earlier in the evening. It must lead out somewhere. He blindly followed the GPS's instructions, trusting that it knew where to go. His foot felt to be a part of the car as he pressed forward without thinking. The grooves in the road were smooth under his car's tires as he swerved and skidded around corners, changing from pavement to dirt in a split second. Hiccup slowed down, but not nearly enough to let anyone catch up to them. He was glad that the town was small; it meant that there were bound to be less cops out to catch him speeding. Hiccup was usually very good at not getting pulled over, minus one or two specific situations, but being related to someone as powerful as his father had its perks. Hiccup didn't like to use it because it made him feel too high and mighty, but he had to admit that it did come in handy.

Before long, they made it back onto the dead end road and spun to a stop in front of Jack's house. The truck was gone. Hiccup could tell that Jack was panicking more visibly and without thinking, he put his hand on Jack's shoulder. Jack's head spun around at the sudden touch and stared at Hiccup in confusion. The exchange was alien and disturbing. Hiccup realized that he couldn't find any words and let his hand fall. Jack must have ignored it, because the next thing Hiccup knew, Jack and his sister were already powering up the steps to the front door. They hugged and Jack was whispering something that Hiccup couldn't hear over the purr of his engine. Then they both ran inside. Was Jack going to stay back and try to defend his family? Even if it was an admirable quality, Hiccup wasn't sure if he could allow it. He never felt like one to command, but there was so much left unsaid that he couldn't bear to leave Jack to do this on his own. He was about to shut his car off when he saw Jack run back out of the house with small bag tossed over his shoulder. Jack hopped into the seat before Hiccup could gather his thoughts.

"Go! Go!" Jack repeated Hiccup's earlier words. The surreal moment took a second for Hiccup to register what was happening. Jack was coming with him. But where were they going? Oh, it didn't matter. They could drive off the edge of the land for all he cared and they could talk on the way.

"Don't need to ask twice!" Hiccup huffed as he spun the car around and took off once again. As they started going, Hiccup felt the silence crawl up his sleeves. "So, what'd you tell your mother?"

"That she'd have to walk a little farther to get the car," Jack answered with an attempted grin that turned more into a scowl. His face was so beat up that Hiccup had a hard time believing that his mother would have let him go so easily. But for the sake of trying to get somewhere safe, Hiccup didn't question the boy. He'd been through enough today, and Hiccup was partially to blame.

A pair of headlights beamed down the road at them. If Hiccup wasn't a better driver, he'd have drowned in his thoughts and not seen that the vehicle wasn't moving toward them at all. Hiccup could barely react in time to slam on the brakes and watch as his car began to tailspin. The forces began to pull him to one side, threatening to take his prosthetic leg off the break and send them into the ditch. He'd come so far to safeguard Jack; he wasn't about to mess that up now. With one hand still on the wheel, Hiccup pulled on the e-brake and pushed his hand onto Jack's chest to keep him still─ the boy had forgotten his seatbelt in all of his haste. They came to a stop facing the same way they'd been traveling. A figure in a black truck stared them down with eyes ready to kill.

* * *

 **A/N: Whew! What a long chapter! I know I could have ended it at several different places, but they all would have been cliffhangers, anyway! So, I decided to leave it on one of the biggest cliffhangers ever! Muwahahahahaha I am only slightly sorry.**

 **The next chapter will have more high intensity stuff like this as well. Just warning ahead of time! If you really want, I might post it early (like, Monday instead of Tuesday).**

 **Have a good day/night! And if from the US, Happy Early Independence Day! :)**


	8. Swan Song

**A/N: This chapter was so stressful to write. I can't imagine how it's going to be for you guys to read this. I'm so, so sorry. And just to make it more emotional, try listening to _Your Guardian Angel_ by Red Jumpsuit Apparatus (the song of inspiration I had for this chapter) while reading this. ****Also, I'm always hyper-aware of the amount of dialogue and I get anxious about it not being too much. I didn't mean to if it is, it just kinda happened. I tried to balance it out!**

 **Please read, review, and try not to cry! :)**

* * *

 **Swan Song**

* * *

Jack's father stared them down from the height of his truck. Hiccup's prosthetic was still stuck to the brake, as if he was afraid the car would speed out of control should he move an inch. He only wished that it would. Hiccup wanted to put the gas pedal to the floor and completely ignore the giant truck blocking his way, despite the drastic impossibility that he'd be able to escape without a scratch, let alone escape at all. His hand was still slapped over Jack's chest, which was noticeably beating way too quickly. His own heart wouldn't slow down and only sped up faster as his head slowly craned to see Jack. His face was stretched wide in disbelief, his blue eyes quivering and his mouth agape. The white-haired boy turned to look at Hiccup and there was no attempt to hide the primal horror that gleamed off the high beams splayed across his face. In this moment, they saw each other's true faces. They knew something had changed.

"This man... is _beyond_ crazy," Hiccup finally said, sounding just as awkward as the silence that had hung around them. The words went sour in the air and Hiccup knew that Jack's father wasn't just going to sit there and watch them stare at each other for much longer.

"He─ he cut us off!" Jack blinked out of his glassy-eyed daze. He glanced down and took Hiccup's hand off his chest without much care.

Hiccup wanted to take that same hand and slap Jack in the face if it weren't for the mass of cuts and bruises already present. "Gee, really? I couldn't see that before. Thanks for the insight, Jack!" If Jack was spent, then this whole mission was hopeless. Hiccup couldn't just sit around and watch Jack crumble to pieces beside him. He had to provoke the boy for more ideas. Jack was always quick on his feet. He got Hiccup into this mess and he could get both of them out. Hiccup knew Jack could. All the belief he'd ever had in the world was placed entirely in Jack.

Jack's father honked his horn, dispelling any concentration Jack may have had. "We don't have a choice," he muttered quietly as they watched Jack's father hop out of the truck and lean against the grill, facing them. Hiccup saw that the man was still just as tall as he had seemed in the small dorm room. But in the shadows of the night that lengthened from the headlights, he appeared to be a giant. Shivers traversed up Hiccup's arms, through his shoulders, and down his spine. He was jolted alert when he heard the passenger door open and the warning beep from his dash. His head spun to see Jack taking a step out of the car. Without hesitation, Hiccup shot out his arm and grabbed Jack's hand─ so cold and shaky. He couldn't just let Jack give up like this.

"Jack! Wh-what do you think you're doing? We should be calling the police!" Hiccup's hand squeezed Jack's in an effort to pull him back into the car, back into relative safety. As soon as Jack left the car, Hiccup knew he could do little to protect the boy for which he had come to have such conflicting emotions.

But Jack yanked his hand away instantly. "Please, just let me do this," left his lips, but his body remained motionless.

"No, Jack," Hiccup grabbed the boy's hand again so that there would hopefully be no miscommunication. Jack was visibly shocked, and Hiccup prayed that it would persuade him to stay. "Look, I can see what he did to you. Y-you think I'm just going to let you waltz out there and let him continue where he left off?" Come on, something, _anything!_

But there was no reaction. Jack's face had gone cold and Hiccup knew he'd receded to a place that Hiccup could only hope to understand. After several intense seconds, Jack shook his head. "He won't do it. Not if I tell him I'm moving out."

Jack would never do that... would he? "Wha─ are you serious? Jack?" He had to be lying. But what if he wasn't? Where would he stay after this? Hiccup wanted to say that Jack could stay with him, but he already knew that it would be a bad idea. Hiccup's father just learned about this development in Hiccup's life, and he didn't want to push his father any further. He could always hide Jack like he had hidden Toothless, but one was a cat and the other was most definitely human. Well, as human as beautiful could get. Hiccup involuntarily shook his head to chase the thought away, but it was a little too late. Even now, Hiccup couldn't focus his thoughts properly with Jack this close. In all honesty, he never had been able to think clearly when Jack was around, but he'd always associated the feeling with Jack being a distracting trickster. Now, Hiccup knew better. Too bad it might not be enough. He wanted to say something more to Jack, once he could see that Jack wasn't going to stay in the car, but the words remained just behind his lips. Without warning, Jack ripped himself out of Hiccup's grasp and got out of the car, slamming the door.

Hiccup wanted to jump out of the car and separate the closing space between Jack and his father. He wanted to find the middle ground and keep things civil. But Jack's father had gone too far. The brunet was about to pull on the latch when he saw that the pair were talking calmly. His fingers eased slightly, resting just above the steering wheel. Perhaps they had both come to their senses.

 _Wait. What am I thinking? This man's already hurt Jack; the evidence is right there!_ Hiccup's hands went to the center console in search for his phone. He tried to keep quiet and appear uninvolved as his fingers tapped out the three numbers and placed the call.

There was a faint click, since Hiccup kept the phone low and off speaker, and a female voice picked up. "Hello, this is 911. What is your emergency?"

Hiccup couldn't back out now. "Hi, uh, I'm calling about a domestic dispute that's about to turn violent." There was no mistaking it. There was no way that Jack's father was going to keep calm. Hiccup had seen twice now what the man would do if Jack said the wrong thing. And no offense to Jack, Hiccup crossed his fingers, but sometimes he was very inconsistent with his words. It was only a matter of time.

"And where are you, sir?"

All of a sudden, Jack's father grabbed onto the front of Jack's shirt and slammed him into the side of the truck. Jack's head smashed into the window and Hiccup saw the boy's eyes roll back for an instant. Then there was yelling as the man leaned close into Jack and had his mouth wide, brandishing Jack with some verbal assault that Hiccup couldn't understand. When he finished, Hiccup noticed that Jack's face narrowed in anger but his lips moved calmly. Was Jack serious in thinking that he could get out of this alive?

* * *

"I told you, I'll leave for good," Jack's voice struggled to keep to a whisper, "just let us pass."

"You think I'm that stupid?" His father's right hand disappeared inside his coat and the pit in Jack's stomach deepened. Now he wished he'd just stayed in the car with Hiccup. At least then they could have talked together for their last moments. Jack knew his father wasn't here to make a deal. Jack knew what his father was thinking. It was better to not have a son at all than have one and pretend that he didn't exist. Even if he was dreading the next turn of events, he wasn't surprised when his father pulled out his old pistol and held it to Jack's heaving chest. Jack forced his heart to slow down. He could do this. He just had to think. Come on, come on!

"Do you really think I'd believe that you'd leave Sophie behind at the drop of a hat?" His father pushed the gun's barrel into Jack's collarbone. "You're dumber than you look, and that's hard to beat."

Jack stared at the man called Father and exhaled unbearably slowly. "I'm telling the truth. I've got my bag in the car and I'm leaving. You can move back home and─" His sentence was cut short as his father brought the pistol across his face with all of the man's strength. The metal sliced his black and blue cheek and possibly knocked a few teeth around. Tooth would be especially petrified right now, if she only knew. Jack swallowed hard and made to wipe his mouth when the pistol came down again on his other cheek and he let it be.

"HEY!" Jack heard Hiccup yell from inside his car and Jack wished he'd just stayed silent. Jack's father whipped his head around and stared down the driver's side of the vehicle, blinded by the headlights. After a deafening moment passed, his father looked back at Jack.

"I know you left in your mother's car. And this is not it," he swung the gun around to point at the car that was much cleaner and healthier than Jack's mother's rust bucket, "and somehow, you took off with that one, got turned around, and started leaving the exact same way with an entirely different car." His father kept his gun facing the car and Jack's mind was traveling faster than Hiccup had ever dared driven. He couldn't drag Hiccup into this. Not into this last fight. This had to be his fight and his alone. Hiccup would never trust Jack again for getting him into this whole fight. And to think this night started out playing Sorry. Jack would be playing many more Sorry's later if he got out of this right. He didn't want to add one to Hiccup's family. His father used his free hand to lightly slap Jack's face and grip his chin to get his attention. "Tell me, who's that driving for you?"

Jack shook his head to pull away from the ghastly fingers. It wasn't going to happen. Hiccup was _not_ going to fight his father. But the real question was, was Hiccup doing what Jack was hoping he was doing? Jack had left the car to stall his father long enough for Hiccup to call the cops. That was the idea. If Hiccup was on the phone with them now, then it was only going to be a few minutes before he could go free. Jack didn't necessarily want the cops involved, but if they were both to get out of this alive, it had to happen. A few nights wherever would be worth it if he could be with his family again. Not to mention apologize to Hiccup for everything. Jack highly doubted that Hiccup would want to remain roommates after tonight. On a side thought, Jack wondered how he would be able to go to classes after this. He shook his head once more. "You leave him out of this."

Jack's feet immediately left the ground and he found his neck being choked by the fabric of his shirt as his father hoisted him upward and thrust him into the ground. In the instant that he was solely in the air, Jack desired to fly away. But just like his wish, the moment was fleeting and his backside was soaked in a puddle as he landed with a harsh thud. Jack's neck was whipped forward and backward, the back of his head hitting directly on a rock. His vision threatened to go black as he felt his body grow weightless again. Jack's head lolled to the side and he saw a man with hateful eyes and a twisted grin hold him painfully close. If he'd said something, Jack couldn't fathom it. Yet again, his body was void of gravity for a dizzying moment and he hit the dirt with another thud. Jack blinked away the tears and his vision morphed around and around until it settled on the barrel of a gun locked right on his forehead. But he had to stay alive. Just a few more minutes. Jack swore he could hear the sirens in the far distance. A click alerted his senses and he was going to scramble away when the horn to Hiccup's car blasted through the night air, long and loud. The gun's cold metal was removed from his face and Jack saw─ too late─ that his father's attention was turned toward the car again.

Three shots rang out and the horn stopped.

Jack was fully awake now as all time screeched to a halt. "NO!" He screamed at the top of his exasperated lungs as he stumbled onto his feet only to run a few paces and fall in front of the door. He didn't care where his father was in this moment, all that mattered was that he found out if Hiccup was okay. Jack fumbled with the door handle and threw it open carelessly. There was blood all over the column and splattered on the windshield, glistening and shimmering in the steady light. Jack looked up and was somewhat relieved that Hiccup's face was uninjured aside from small specks of blood that may well have just been freckles. Hiccup's chest was taking shallow, ragged breaths and his eyes were staring out the cracked windshield with little recognition in its green gaze. Jack pulled himself a little closer and was able to make out the source of all the blood. The front of Hiccup's right shoulder, just above his chest and below his collarbone, was soaked and a steady stream poured─ not trickled, _poured_ ─ from a tear in his black jacket. Jack, in desperation, pushed his hands together on Hiccup's chest and added as much pressure as his trembling arms could muster. None of the other bullets seemed to have hit. Hiccup's breathing hadn't changed, but he whimpered something low when Jack blocked the wound. Fresh, dark blood seeped through Jack's fingers and his tears were cascading without hindrance.

"Hiccup! Dear God, Hiccup! Don't die on me! Hiccup! HICCUP!" Jack shouted in between additions of pressure.

The older boy's head rotated ever so slowly to look at Jack completely. "J-Ja...ck?"

Jack's breath escaped him in an incredulous gasp and a small smile curled at the edges of his lips. Hiccup was alive. Hiccup was going to be okay. Jack just had to keep holding the wound. Maybe he could patch it up? He glanced inside the car for something to tie around Hiccup's shoulder, but he didn't want to move his hands. Jack was about to suggest something when an ankle was grabbed and he was dragged back a little. Jack was forced to let go of Hiccup's wound and the boy cried out in agony as the blood was left to flow unrestricted again. Jack kicked and flailed angrily, earning a satisfying grunt somewhere in the darkness. He scurried back to Hiccup's side and pushed on the bullet wound again. Hiccup yelped and pushed his head back against the headrest, clenching his teeth.

"Hello? Hiccup? Are you still with us?"

A wave of premature relief crashed through Jack's being. Hiccup had called 911. The phone was resting on the center console, it's light flashing. Low battery. Not good. "Yes, yes! He's still here. He's been shot!" Jack yelled into the receiver.

"Is this one of the suspects?"

The accusation hurt. Hiccup had called in on a domestic, hadn't he? Jack knew that was the way he'd end up in jail. His father had friends in high places and Jack might was well still be a juvenile. He shook his head vigorously. Now was not the time for clarification on this. "This is Jackson Overland. I'm Hiccup's friend─" were they really friends in this mess? "─ and my father shot him. Y-you've gotta help," Jack looked back over at Hiccup and was horrified to see his eyes starting to glaze over, "there's so much blood. Oh God, no. Hiccup!" Jack's voice was choking on sobs that tore at his throat.

The sirens were much louder now. Jack looked up and past the cracks he swore he could see the wavering reds and blues becoming more vibrant. He pushed onto Hiccup's wound and his hands began to slip around. The blood had gotten all over his hands and the front of his shirt and probably his face and hair. But Jack didn't care. If it kept Hiccup alive, he'd stay here all night. The door to the car opened wider behind him and Jack's head turned to see his father pointing the gun at Hiccup. Jack moved his head in between the barrel and Hiccup without even thinking about it, his forehead resting against the dying boy's. His father's face was obscured by the roof of the car, but he knew the intention. Two birds with one stone; wasn't that what Hiccup had said to him on the phone?

"Damn brat called the cops," his father spat as the sirens became amazingly raucous. They would be here any second now, or maybe they already were. But a second mightn't save Jack and Hiccup from his father pulling the trigger one last time.

The shot, like the three before, could be heard all the way from the Overland house.

* * *

Neither boy went to class that Monday.

A beep. Jack woke up in a drugged haze. Different shades of white danced in circles around the room, reverberating with a low hum in his consciousness. A beep. There was a window, a door, some walls. They were all coming into a slow focus. A beep. The itchy fabric covering his arms felt too heavy. His breathing was normal but his chest felt like it was on fire. A beep. The surroundings settled and Jack recognized a hospital room. His feet were sticking up underneath the blanket that went up to his chest and folded back. A beep. Jack's head slowly swiveled to his left and a black and green set of screens tried to tell him something. There was a low number, barely changing above sixty-five. A beep. The machine was beeping at him. How rude. He'd only just gotten up. He was probably late for class...

A few hours passed and a sunrise painted the room in purples and oranges and reds and blues. Jack rubbed his eyes only to find out that his finger had a plastic contraption attached. Jack followed the wire and saw that it led to the heart rate monitor. In his left arm was an IV needle. His skin was numb and his head felt too heavy despite not being lifted. Jack searched the room and found nothing to be important, his mind still too dull to remember. He fell back asleep as a boy with brown hair invaded his dreams. He was smiling, laughing, cracking some sort of joke, and listening to Jack. Jack's arms raised themselves without command and he yearned to hug that happy boy. But as his arms closed in on themselves, the face of the boy changed. He was frowning, crying, yelling about some unknown danger, and begging Jack to run. Then there was blood. In a flash, the image changed from happy to frightened and the blood was everywhere, everywhere, everywhere. The bright sunrise turned into a murder scene and he was dying over and over and Hiccup was gone and Jack was on his own and he was dying and dying and dying and...

Something hopped onto Jack's abdomen. He _really_ had to pee. Lifting one eye open, he was perplexed as to why his dorm room looked so different. Then brown eyes peered into his from too close a distance─ if there really was any distance at all─ and Jack was jerked awake. Sophie was wriggling on his bed with a grin on her face.

"Mommy! Mommy! Jack's awake!" she called to the back of the room. Jack watched his chest rise and fall, still distracted, as another figure walked into his vision. He looked up lazily to find his mother looking down at him with concern brimming in her red eyes.

"Are you alright, sweetie?" the woman's hand came seemingly out of nowhere and tucked a piece of disheveled white hair behind Jack's ear. When did he get white hair? Memories slowly crawled back into his head as everything came into focus.

Jack tried to pull his body up into a sitting position but was instantly thrown back into his seat by both his aching chest and his sister. Somewhere a button was pressed and Jack's body felt like it was rising on its own. A confusing moment later and he realized it was the bed moving, not him. The first question he immediately wanted to ask was what happened, but the memories soon came flooding back. Of course he wasn't at school. He'd never made it past his lonely dirt road. Flashbulb memories of headlights, black trucks, blood, and sneering grins glared him in the eye and Jack was forced to put his arms in front of his face as a weak defense. Sophie pulled down his arms and Jack wanted to push her away, but even in this state, he couldn't harm his sister.

"I'm okay," Jack mumbled to no one in particular. It was more self-assurance than anything. If he hadn't said so, he would have collapsed into tears once he remembered the boy that had been sitting next to him. But there was something off about his words. Jack lifted his empty hand up to his face to find that bandages were littered about his features. "I probably don't look it, do I?"

That earned a smirk from his mother and a giggle from the little girl that had snuggled close to him. Jack felt his heart warm up to the moment, but it only lasted a second before he realized Hiccup was probably here all alone. Or worse...

"Where's Hiccup?" Jack couldn't help it. He needed to know. He searched his family's faces for any hints that the worst had happened, but nothing came back in a solid answer. His mother looked away from him and out of the room and then back to Jack. She then glanced at Sophie for a long minute. Jack followed her eyes and saw that his sister's face was downcast and she twiddled her thumbs. "Sophie told you, right?" Jack hoped so, or this was going to be a much lengthier explanation than he felt he had the strength to give.

"She did," his mother's voice dropped off, and even after just waking up, Jack knew she was about to scold him, "but why didn't you tell me he was there?" Yup. Called it. "How long had he been in our house? Were you hiding him from us because of your father? He was just a friend, Jack." The words hurt him more than he thought that they would. Sophie could see the pain in Jack's face. She knew what Hiccup meant to Jack. He'd never lied to her about anything. He may have censored some things, sure, but he had never lied to her about Hiccup. He'd told her about the cute, adorable, everything-he-ever-wanted roommate. He'd also told her about how much of an idiot he'd been in messing things up without ever starting anything between them in the first place. Sophie discreetly took Jack's hand in her small one and squeezed it tightly. _Mommy_ _'ll stop soon, just wait it_ _out_ , her face seemed to say. But Jack didn't know if he could wait it out. "Your father would have understood that! Why'd you have to go to all this trouble and nearly get yourself killed─"

"Where. Is. Hiccup?" Jack pressed further. He could get reprimanded by his mother later.

"I don't know, Jack!" His mother tried to recompose herself and settle her ruffled hair. Her face became soft again as she saw the desperate plea repeated in Jack's light blue eyes. Those eyes had been a genetic miracle considering both his parents had brown eyes. It was yet another characteristic that made him different from them. His mother had said once, a long time ago, that what made him different made him special and loved. He needed to know if she still felt like that. "I─ I'm sorry. I shouldn't have yelled. It's just... there's more important news at the moment. You need to understand, even if he wasn't the nicest man to you, he was your father. He─"

But Jack caught onto the change in tenses. "He _was_?"

"Your father's dead, Jack," his mother choked out, not even bothering to cover Sophie's ears. She must have already known, and yet she didn't look too concerned. Hell, Jack wasn't concerned at all. A weight was lifted off his shoulders.

He put so much effort into trying not to smile. That was awful of him. He shouldn't be glad that someone was dead. "So, that last shot? Who─?

"According to the police, they were forced to fire. He didn't listen to their orders and he was shot on site," his mother didn't seem too convinced, and Jack wasn't sure if he believed it, either. He hadn't heard the police say anything. He had hardly known that they were that close. It had still appeared like they weren't there yet. Then again, Jack was focused on protecting Hiccup.

Hiccup!

"Then, then I wasn't shot? Neither was Hiccup?" The realization was like a warm embrace. But it was short-lived. "Well, except for the..." Jack couldn't finish the sentence as he buried his head further back into the pillow. His eyes were fighting back tears and it was a losing battle. Hiccup had been shot protecting Jack, and Jack had failed to do the same for him. Jack's throat throbbed and he could feel the bile rising unsteadily. He was going to heave and it was going to be a mess. It took all of his strength to stop himself.

"You're recovering from shock. As for Hiccup, he went into surgery as soon as the two of you arrived," his mom explained to the best of her ability in light of seeing her son so close to breaking down twice in a twenty-four hour period. "They wouldn't tell me anything else because I wasn't family. You'll have to see him once they allow visitors, but even then they may only admit family. I may just have to drive you back to college after they discharge you if there's no report on Hiccup. His family will probably want him transferred to a closer hospital. I'm sure you'll see him when you get back to college."

"So you think he's alive?" Jack's voice croaked, a single tear falling down his cheek. It couldn't be helped.

His mother didn't say anything for awhile and Sophie had fallen asleep in the crook of Jack's arm. The familiar warmth was a mild comfort to Jack in the midst of everything. Instead of answering, she changed the subject. "Was he... was he just your roommate?"

The emphasis was unmistakable. Jack nodded and looked her dead in the eyes. Hiccup was, always had been, just his roommate. Jack had to stop pretending that there would ever be anything between them. There wasn't. There never was. And there never would be. Especially not after last night. If Hiccup ever even spoke to Jack again (assuming he was alive), he would count himself among the luckiest people in the world. The boy deserved so much more than a lousy roommate such as Jack. Surely Hiccup wouldn't still want him as a roommate anymore, either. As soon as he was discharged and brought back to school, Jack was sure to check himself into a new room as fast as possible. He wasn't sure if he could really bear to see Hiccup again if his face was going to be riddled with pain and fear and anger and disgust. Jack closed his eyes for a moment and pushed all of his energy into forgetting about the brunet with the goofy grin and caring eyes and everything else. He opened them slowly and looked back to the woman above him.

A visible relief crashed through his mother's features and Jack felt sick. The woman still couldn't fully accept that his son didn't want to fall in love with a girl. She couldn't fully accept that he wanted to go against tradition. The only thing stopping her from being as violent as his father was the fact that she was not violent in any form of the word. Not a drop of blood in her body could be used to harm. She still loved him, sure, but there was a noticeable barrier. Yet another one to maintain. Jack's tears soaked the pillow on either sides of his head, the trails streaking ugly trails past his cheeks.

"But you wanted him to be more, right?"

His mother sat in the chair beside his head and ran a feminine hand through his matted hair. Jack blinked and nodded slowly. He was still afraid to speak against everything he was trying to fight. His mother closed the distance between them and embraced her son and that's when Jack let the tears fall more freely. Even if she didn't understand him, she still loved him. And that would always be the important difference between her and that man that said he was a father. The pair stayed that way for some time until Jack fell back into unconsciousness. His mother let go after Jack's tired hands fell away and she picked Sophie up carefully, carrying her out of the hospital room. She was going to miss school today as well.

* * *

By that evening, Jack was able to stand up and walk around with some crutches. His legs were fine, but the doctor had insisted on a wheelchair; hospital policy or some other nonsense. Jack refused to be grounded, naturally, so they compromised and gave him a pair of crutches. It was stupid, Jack knew, but it was the only way that they would let him leave his room. His mom said she would be back in an hour. It was all the time he would have left in the same building as Hiccup until whoever-knew-when. Even if the feelings were gone, as Jack had told himself, he still owed Hiccup an explanation. Jack had promised to tell him the full story, and he would do so before saying goodbye. There was no going back now. Jack went up to the main office's counter and asked for Hiccup's room. He lied and said that he was Hiccup's cousin so that they would let him in. A nurse eyed the crutches warily but escorted him to the room anyway. They traveled up a floor to the Intensive Care Unit and Jack felt his stomach knot and unknot and knot again without rest. He bit his lip as the nurse ushered him forward and left. His feet were tangled together and he stumbled into the room, the sight coming to him all at once.

The crutches had fallen against the wall and lay perched in case he would need them again. Hiccup was asleep with the headboard part of the bed raised and his head off to the side, peaceful. He was shirtless, allowing Jack to see exactly what damage the bullet had done. Gauze and bandages were wrapped over the wound and around his shoulder, tied off underneath a wrap around his midsection. There was also a small BandAid on his bicep. Another bullet must have grazed the skin. Jack couldn't imagine the state that Hiccup had been in when they'd been brought into the emergency room. All of the screaming and agony and torture that Hiccup must have had to suffer through, not to mention being so close to death, must have put him out for a long time. Jack wondered if he'd even woken up yet. The overwhelming emotions tore at Jack's heart despite taking such care into preventing that exact reaction. Hiccup was okay, right? That was his chest moving up and down, right? He was alive?

There was a second man in the room who had turned to look at who had entered. Jack saw that this man had an enormous red beard and long hair tucked into a braid underneath his shirt. The man was huge, tall and bulky. Jack took it to be Hiccup's father, but could Hiccup really be related to someone this... this tough? Sure, Hiccup had muscles, but this man was scarily ripped. But this was only one parent. Where was Hiccup's mother? Did Hiccup have a mother? The thought had never occurred to Jack. How selfish he had been! The older man's blue eyes gazed at him warily and broke him from his thoughts.

"Uh, hi," Jack stuttered, "I'm Jack... Hiccup's friend."

The man looked him over a couple times and nodded. "Name's Stoick. Hiccup told me about you after he woke up from surgery. As much as he could, at least. He's been asleep since then. This morning, was it? I'm not sure anymore," the man pinched his eyebrows together and leaned forward. It was then that Jack could see the dark circles underneath Stoick's eyes. He must have driven here all the way from Berk. He probably got a call from the hospital in Burgess that told him his son had been shot. Jack felt intensely guilty as the man glared back up at him. "You're fine, boy. Come, sit down."

Jack obeyed for no reason other than this man sounded like he could command a thousand armies. He walked over to a chair in the corner and brought it up to the bed, sitting across from Hiccup's father. But as he did, Jack realized that he didn't know what to say. What do you tell the father of your roommate about all that had just happened? Again, Jack felt at fault and hung his head low, avoiding looking at Stoick or Hiccup. _At least he's alive, right?_ That was how to get punched by a stranger. And Stoick looked like he could punch hard. Harder than his own father had, and that was scary. Jack wondered off-hand if Hiccup had really been scared by Jack's father's appearance when his father looked like a Viking chief. Perhaps Hiccup was used to it.

The silence continued between them for some time. Hiccup did not stir once and Jack was worried that his mother would be here too soon. "I─ I'm sorry," Jack spoke heavily. He knew there were no other words he could have said. Hell, even an small apology such as that probably hadn't been necessary. But he had to start somewhere.

Stoick shook his head after a minute and looked at Jack, tears in his eyes. "I shouldn't have told him to leave," Stoick patronized himself, "but I was too shocked. Mind you, I'd never had any idea he was gay until last night, and even then I just couldn't believe it─"

Jack's attention spiked.

"Wh-what?" Jack sputtered. His ears were lying, surely? They had to be. Was what his father saying what they had been fighting about? Was that why Hiccup had wanted to go to Jack's place so badly? It didn't make sense. Why didn't he just say so? Then it dawned on Jack. Hiccup wouldn't have told him. All of these times where he could have, he wouldn't have unless he'd liked Jack. Risking telling him without knowing anything else about him would have been too dangerous. Jack glanced at Hiccup as he realized the boy had never felt that way about him. There was no mistaking it. Jack was never a choice in the first place.

But Stoick hadn't caught on. "Well, you never expect your son to say something so suddenly when he'd had a girlfriend for the better part of the year! I don't know what brought it on! Oh well, he's got his own choices to make." A flare of anger seared through Jack and he glared up at Stoick without meaning to. Stoick saw the look and retracted his statement. "No, bad way to put it. It's not a choice. I'm sure he's been this way for a long time. If only Valka and I had spent more time with him and not been so busy with work. Not that it would've changed anything, but at least maybe this wouldn't have happened."

Jack couldn't let this man blame himself. "You're not at fault, sir! I was the one who told him he'd have a place to stay─"

"Nonsense! If you hadn't spoken up, who knows where my boy would've gone? He's always been a free spirit, this boy," Stoick patted Hiccup's leg and the boy's body was stirred by the touch, "always been afraid of him running off and getting hurt." A twitch played on Hiccup's lips and his face grimaced before turning this way and that. Jack was abruptly fearful that Hiccup would catch him in the room, feeling instantly like he didn't belong there. But at the same time, he hung onto the prospect of seeing Hiccup's green eyes again. And he still had to tell him things. Although it might not be possible with Stoick around, so Jack debated leaving. This was a precious moment for father and son, a moment Jack would never have.

Hiccup's eyelids fluttered open and faded green eyes moved around the room with no recognition. He began to stretch his legs and arm, whimpering and yawning in a way so cute Jack could feel a blush on his cheeks. He swallowed the feelings as soon as they had surfaced, determined to move on. Hiccup's right arm tried to move, however, and his sleepy whimper turned into one of discomfort; a sound that was wholly unpleasant. Jack looked away instinctively, not wanting to see the boy in anymore pain. When Jack managed to look to Hiccup again, he saw that Hiccup was returning the stare. Hiccup's lips formed a small smile.

"Hey, Jack."

* * *

Hiccup's voice was sore from misuse, but he didn't care. Jack had come to see him. The only face he'd wanted to see since he came to and it was just in arms reach. Aside from Jack's patchwork face, he appeared to have gotten out of the whole ordeal fine. Hiccup was eternally grateful that he'd laid his hands on that horn. More than Jack's face would have been injured. Jack could have died. Hiccup wasn't sure if he could handle all of the unspoken feelings rattling in his chest if Jack wasn't around. The thought threatened tears to form and Hiccup knew he had to say something. Jack didn't look like he was going to be doing any talking. "Glad to see you're doing okay. How's your head?"

Jack's eyebrows flew up and Hiccup tried not to giggle. It would hurt his collarbone to talk too much, or at least that was what the doctor had said. It was really hurting his throat more so than anything. Surgery had been long and he hadn't had a drink in Thor knows how long. Jack raised his arm behind his head and scratched his neck. "Uh, it's alright. Better than your arm, I'm sure."

Hiccup actually attempted a laugh. It ended up coming out short and a little strained, and it ended in a cough, but Hiccup was determined not to show the pain. Jack had seen enough of that. "Nothing that won't heal with time. Hey, Dad?" Hiccup turned to his father for a moment, something else glimmering in his eyes. "Can I talk to Jack alone for a minute?"

Stoick stared at Hiccup until he understood the meaning behind the request. "Alright, son. Holler if you need me," the man said as he stood up and left the room with one last glance at his bedridden son. Hiccup knew that it must have hurt him to watch his son through this, but he also knew that Stoick was likely to believe his son would make it out just fine. It was in their blood.

Scenes of blood and lights and glass perturbed his mind not for the first time since waking up from surgery. He remembered the first two bullets hitting the two back seats and barely grazing his arm. He'd thought that the worst of over, that the car was the least of his problems. Then the third bullet shot into his shoulder and he'd gripped it immediately. But as he'd removed his hand to check the wound, the loss of blood already made him dizzy. He would've lost consciousness had Jack not stayed with him in the car. In that moment, as Jack was yelling his name and Hiccup was struggling─ and failing─ to speak, he'd made peace with himself. He just had to mutter those few words and he could have died with Jack so close to him. But then he'd seen Jack's father coming closer to the car and Hiccup knew he couldn't leave. But what could he do? His torso was essentially pinned to the seat because he'd known that if he moved the blood would have trickled behind him, too. He was going to lose blood much faster and be of even less help. He tried to grasp Jack's hand, but it disappeared before his mind could register the movement. Next thing Hiccup knew, Jack was holding his head close to his, forehead to forehead. It was only for a split second before things went black, but Hiccup wasn't afraid anymore.

And he couldn't be afraid now.

"Jack?" The boy hadn't moved and wasn't looking up. "Jack, I─"

"No." It wasn't an interruption. Hiccup knew that was Jack's answer. And it hurt more than any bullet wound. "You don't need to give me any explanation. I'll tell you my story like I said I would," Jack still wasn't looking up and Hiccup was in all honesty a little scared, "and I'm not stopping. It'll be absolutely everything."

Absolutely everything.

* * *

 **A/N: First of all: I'M SORRY HICCUP I DIDN'T WANT TO SHOOT YOU ;-;**

 **This was the least cliffhangery ending that I could salvage, guys. Honestly, after writing so much, I don't know if I could come up with anything more potent. Hahaha who am I kidding just you wait for the last two chapters (that, conveniently, I have already written)!**

 **Have a good day/night! :)**


	9. Misunderstandings

**A/N:** **It's the second-to-last chapter! I think I might cry. I don't know if I want this story to be over! Maybe a sequel? Agh, but I'm working on like, five different ideas right now... I have more HiJack shorts coming quickly! And perhaps a Pirate!AU...? GUYS. Stop me from starting up so many ideas at once! It's going to kill me! *nervous twitch***

 ***crouches away from faisyah865's metal bat* don't hurt me! ;-; I'm trying to push 'em together; they just won't listen!**

 **Please read, review, and enjoy! :)**

* * *

 **Misunderstandings**

* * *

As soon as Jack had heard his name spoken from Hiccup's cracked lips, anything he'd felt flushed away. How could this guy, a guy that had taken a bullet for him, never reveal who he really was? It took a five-second conversation with his father─ who Jack hadn't previously met─ to learn what Jack had been wondering and racking his brain about for weeks. And to think he'd spent his tears in his recovery room on this boy. It had only happened hours ago and Jack was already infuriated with his past self. Of course he had wanted Hiccup to mean so much more. Of _course_ he had wanted be with Hiccup. _Of-fucking-course_ Jack would have taken a bullet in return. But with this new information, Jack wanted to hide away in shame. The blush on his cheeks wasn't of fondness. It wasn't of embarrassment. Jack was furious with himself for letting his desires and wishes run away with his thoughts. Had he just said no and told Hiccup not to come to his house last night (simply because he thought that Hiccup might have been confessing to some ridiculous undying love), this mess wouldn't have resulted.

"You don't need to give me any explanation," because Hiccup's father had already given one, and Jack couldn't hold it in anymore, "I'll tell you my story like I said I would," because Jack wasn't a liar, a hypocrite, or an opportunist, "and I'm not stopping," because everything hurts and this feeling was only going to get worse. "It'll be absolutely everything," because Jack had nothing left to offer. From this moment on, the Jack that Hiccup knew wouldn't be the same. Despite not being the boy that had been shot, Jack felt like he'd died last night.

Hiccup's eyes fell to the floor and his face was hidden from Jack. His heart rate monitor dipped lower for a few seconds and Jack was worried that the boy was going to die some meaningless death right in front of him. He couldn't allow that. Not now. The anguish of Hiccup dying would be the same as if he were living to Jack once this was over.

When Hiccup looked up again, his face was clear and set and his eyes were misted over ever so lightly. "I'm all ears, bud." Hiccup glanced away at the last moment only to catch Jack's gaze again and breathe deeply. The term of endearment was almost insulting to Jack, but he didn't bother to correct Hiccup. He'd figure it out soon enough. After a second of unsettling silence, Hiccup nodded and waited for the white-haired boy to begin.

Jack sucked in a long breath. Here went... everything. "I was fourteen. Just started high school and was ready to make this huge impression on people. But it didn't turn out like that. To so many people, I didn't exist. I was─ I was invisible, Hic. To everyone except this one person, who I'm not going to name, and he and I were best friends. We'd visit each others' houses and play video games like every other teenage guy. He didn't even mind that my house was an example of living below the poverty line. Pretty soon he was around almost every day. We'd stay in my room and play games and talk and we'd be out by dinner, then he would leave for the night and come back after school the next day." Jack took a moment to collect himself before continuing. "There were even some days he'd stay the night, usually because he didn't have a ride home. It never bothered my parents. They didn't think it was odd to let two boys stay in the same room. And it isn't, really. But when your mom walks into your room with some late-night ice cream and sees those said teenagers sprawled 'sinfully' on the bed," Jack held up a pair of pretentious air quotes, "in a traditionalist household... He didn't come to my house again after that.

"But they had it all wrong, I swore to them on it. At first, it had just been 'kissing practice,' because we didn't want to find out too late that we were horrible kissers. And that had been going on for a little over a month before they'd even found out. Then it became a phase, coined by my mother. After countless arguments, my parents had left it at that. But Sophie was so young, maybe three years old, and they didn't want their youngest corrupted as well. So they had me sit in on all of these groups and seminars preaching─ well, you get it.

"Anyway, being the trickster I am," Jack pulled his fingers through his hair for obvious show-casing, "I'd be dropped off at the place but never go into it. I would go back to his house as often as I could. I couldn't get over him. And for awhile, he couldn't get over me. But one day, I pushed it too far and he didn't like it. That sort of thing wasn't to be done between two boys, he'd said to me. I confessed to him, the only person that I trusted besides my little sister, and he pushed me away. I was so upset that my parents didn't find me at the meeting place like they usually did. Once they asked the person leading all of those stupid meetings, they realized my name hadn't been on attendance for a couple weeks. When they came home, I was crying like a baby with Sophie─ three-year-old Sophie─ holding my head for comfort. Or she was holding it for her own support, it doesn't matter. It was the fact that she'd been there. After they'd tucked Sophie in for a nap, they asked me about where I'd been. Being a good son, I told them. Everything. I told them I didn't like girls and that it wasn't a phase. I told them I was gay.

"And do you know what my father said to me?" Jack asked, the question burning in the air for several agonizing seconds. "He said, 'you've never even tried to date a girl,' and, 'you must be sick, dear boy. Boys don't fall in love with boys in their right minds. You have something wrong with your head.'" Jack paused and forced himself to swallow his pride. "I knew there was nothing wrong with me, but when you're told that your brain just sent the wrong signal, like it was an _allergy_ , you start to wonder. When I wasn't complying with my father's antics, he tried putting me in therapy. The therapist told me nothing new that my father hadn't already said. The harassment continued for a whole year, Hiccup. A whole year of the names and the reprimands from my own father. And do you know what my mom did?

"Nothing. She kept saying how it would just get better on its own, but never mentioned anything afterward. But Sophie... Sophie cared. She thought it was normal for some people to love their own gender. And it gave us more to talk about. She could shell out hours of material on cooties, believe me, and I could tell her about any boys I'd met or had crushes on. Well, one day, my father overheard one of our conversations and tried to put a stop to it. He slapped me, then and there, in front of Sophie. She began to cry and my father blamed me. And," Jack couldn't believe he was going to paint himself this way, but he had to keep going, "I hit him back. A fight broke out and I tried to run away. A day into being out on my own, I realized how few people I really had in my life. So, I walked back home to find my father had moved out. Turns out my mother couldn't stand Sophie's tears and my father's relentless tirades about me even after I was gone. I thought I was fine and safe, but mom was still... less than agreeable."

Jack stopped talking to keep himself from tearing up again. He could spare Hiccup those. He'd given the brunet enough of his sorrow. "Into senior year, a lot of it had been forgotten. I finally had friends. Aster─ I've told you about him─ and Tooth were both in my homeroom that year. They sat on either side of me. I wasn't too excited, but Tooth started to include me. I'm sure it was out of pity, but after some time, I really didn't mind. She was pretty chatty, so I could get away with not talking more than normal. For awhile, I thought that maybe Aster might've been... in the same boat as me, but we didn't get along for the better part of the year. Tooth really kept us all together. And maybe that's why I believed that I'd liked her and dated her. But in the end, I didn't tell anyone. And I haven't told anyone, except for my sister, until now.

"So, there you go. I tried not to go into too many details, but at least now you know why my father did what he did. It doesn't excuse him, and that─ that wasn't my plan─ but it doesn't excuse me, either. I pulled you into it selfishly. I'm going to admit it─ I sort of, kind of, had a crush on you. A few weeks ago. I didn't know what to do with those feelings. I hadn't had them so long, so I just left the whole thing alone. Then that Sunday night when my father said he'd be back... I─ I panicked. And drank. A lot. I hoped that drinking would let me just forget about it all. It didn't help─ and─ and, well, you know what happened. But you should know, Hic, that you had asked me to cuddle up to you. You were probably asleep, and I know that now, but it was late and I didn't think it through. And that brings us here. Full circle. Except you don't have to worry about me; I've already told myself I have no chance with you. I'll be moving out of the dorm room soon so we can both get on with our lives. I've cleared my conscience.

"Goodbye, Hiccup."

Jack stood up from the generic hospital stool and turned around when Hiccup's hand grabbed onto his sweater─ his mother had brought it to him from the bag he'd left inside Hiccup's car. Jack refused to turn around and waited for Hiccup to do or say something.

Nothing was said for a minute and Jack wondered again if Hiccup had died. He peered over his shoulder to realize that Hiccup had used his bad arm to hold Jack in place and he was grimacing in pain unimaginable. Had he been doing that for the past minute? Hiccup's breaths were short as he fought through it. "Jack... I─ I didn't know. I mean, I'd had a feeling about it, but it hadn't really occurred to me until a little while ago─" Hiccup's apology was cut short as Jack ripped his sweatshirt out of Hiccup's grasp, causing painful shocks that shot up his arm, and began walking out of the room. "Jack! Don't you want to know why I wanted to come over last night?"

Jack paused in the doorway, his lips pursed and his eyes narrowed in anger. "I don't have to ask. Your father told me while you were out."

And with that, Jack closed the door to Hiccup's room and didn't turn back.

* * *

Hiccup lay there in bed, his bad arm practically on fire, and his heart was probably burnt to a crisp as well. It took several minutes to digest all that he had heard. Jack hardly seemed to breathe as he rattled out the long-winded story from start to finish. Hiccup had to hold himself back from asking questions and attempting to comfort the boy. As he feared, Jack's story put a weight in his chest that made it hard to breathe. He had tried to pull Jack back but the boy looked entirely spent. No words could come after all of those had been used within the small amount of time. Realization after realization dawned upon Hiccup's still-foggy mind and he felt the throb in his injured arm increase.

His father had told Jack before Hiccup even got the chance, and for that, he was angry. But anger was the least of his emotions. Jack found out the exact way that Hiccup had hoped he wouldn't have found out. The white-haired boy took it the wrong way and for some reason believed that Hiccup wasn't interested. _I took a bullet for him_ ─ _literally!_ And yet, Jack had said that there was no chance between them? What did that even mean? Hiccup's warring indecisions drowned out everything else and he simply sat there, helpless.

What in Valhalla was he doing? Jack might still be here. Hiccup had to go find him! Hiccup tossed the blankets off of his body only to find out that the doctors had taken off his prosthetic. It was a minor setback and he wondered the reasoning behind the doctors doing this, but he jumped out of bed regardless. He tumbled, having only one foot to stand on, and caught the stool that had been in the way and clung for dear life. It was after he stood up that he registered the fact that he was naked. He hopped over to the cabinets in the room and searched through the contents for a robe or smock or _something_ because he had to hurry. He tossed something on and tied the strings, hopping over to the door. There he took the crutches that were leaning against an empty chair and hobbled off in the direction he'd seen Jack leave. There were several questions and commands directed at Hiccup, but he ignored them. Tunnel vision pointed him to the hospital's entrance and he saw Jack's figure walking out next to a woman with short brown hair on his left and Sophie on his right. But Hiccup focused on Jack's snowy hair and he made it into the lobby before yelling after Jack.

"Jack! Wait!" Hiccup's breathless requests didn't reach the boy. "Jack! Come back..." Hiccup coughed out as he was dimly aware that hands were grabbing his arms and making his injury worse. The sharp pain in his shoulder was enough to bring him to attention for a moment before falling to the ground, unable to catch himself with a stump for a left leg. He passed out before the nurses came with a lowered stretcher to carry him back to his recovery room in the ICU.

* * *

When Hiccup awoke, the doctor was checking up on the boy and greeted him with a warm smile. Hiccup attempted to smile back, but the motivation was gone. He vaguely remembered the doctor warning him not to leave the bed and knew that it wasn't going to happen any time soon. Even tossing and turning in the bed felt like too much effort. At least he was recovering well despite the stint... yesterday. Hiccup groaned when he heard that. On the other hand, he would be okay to leave by tomorrow, or at least he thought he heard that correctly.

The doctor left and Hiccup was alone once again. Except he'd already felt alone even when the doctor was there, so it wasn't much of a difference. He resolved to not think about the reason he was in this hospital so far from home, from college. He ignored the uncomfortable throbbing in his left leg below the knee as well as the dull pain resonating in his shoulder. He wanted to dissolve into the sheets and disappear. He wished to do that so much that he almost didn't hear his phone buzzing on the tray next to his bed. Hiccup's eyebrows furrowed, but he reached for the phone anyway. Unlocking it, he saw that it was from Astrid. _Oh no_. She was probably worried. She didn't leave all that angry the other night. In fact, she had been the one who told Hiccup to go after Jack. _Oh no._ There went the whole not-thinking-about-him plan. Well, Astrid hadn't exactly told him to go after Jack _that night,_ but that wasn't her fault. A moment's hesitation and he resolved to tap on the message. It turned out that Astrid had sent him a few texts throughout the past twenty-four hours. They all read:

 _ASTRID: Hey, I just saw Jack looking all depressed. You tell him yet?  
_ _ASTRID: Hellloooooo?  
_ _ASTRID: I haven't seen or heard from you since I got back to campus. I'm getting worried...  
_ _ASTRID: Hiccup! OH MY GODS ARE YOU OKAY? Your father told me what happened.  
_ _ASTRID: That's it. I'm visiting. NOW.  
_ _ASTRID: Here_

Hiccup bolted upright, instantly regretting the movement with a grunt. His shoulder screamed at him and he leaned back down slowly. He hardly had time to reflect on Astrid's messages before she barged her way in through the door. Hiccup sighed and debated faking sleeping when she pulled up the same stool that Jack had used and scooted up to him.

"Hiccup! Thank gods, you're alright!" She sounded out of breath as she pawed at his face in concern. "How the hell did you get shot? Wh─ why did he shoot you? How bad is it? Are you─"

"Whoa, whoa, Astrid," Hiccup used his left arm to grasp her forearm lightly, "calm down. Please. It still hurts, but I'll be out tomorrow." Astrid sat back and took her hands away from him. She looked down in apology, or the closest to an apology that she could muster. Hiccup knew she didn't say sorry easily. "You really should've waited back at campus."

She glared at him incredulously. "You weren't answering me! How was I supposed to know?" Her hands were up in the air and Hiccup knew she had a point.

"I was still asleep," which was only partially a lie, "and I didn't get my belongings until today," which was a total lie. Hiccup made a disgruntled noise. "Why do you even care?"

"Because it's my fault you went after him, Hiccup!" Astrid didn't sound angry or furious or anything except sad. "But I'm not here to argue. Jack looks... Jack looks bad, Hiccup. Like really, _really_ bad. I saw him in the dining hall a couple times, but he wasn't eating. And his face─ it's awful! It looked like he tried to fight a dragon with a twig. I was worried that maybe you two got into a fight or something. But that didn't sound like either of you, so I thought I'd find out how you were doing. I wasn't expecting to find out that his father _shot_ you. At the very least I would've thought that Jack had stayed with you here. Did you tell him?"

"I don't want to talk about it," Hiccup looked away from Astrid and out the window. The view outside was beautiful in the afternoon sun. The small town of Burgess was quiet and lent itself to the surrounding hills and forests that began to shift underneath the sunlight. Splotched colors covered every detail and it looked more like a painting than real life. Hiccup wantonly thought about Jack showing him all the places in the woods where he would play with his sister. Before the thought traveled too far, Hiccup shook his head and turned back to Astrid. The question was still lingering in her gaze and he comprehended that she wasn't about to drop it like that and leave. Hiccup took a shaky breath and caved. "I didn't tell him. Uh... my father did."

"Your father?" Astrid's eyebrows gawked upward.

"I was still recovering from the surgery," Hiccup looked down to see that the nurses had removed his makeshift robe he'd thrown on. The fact that he was shirtless around Astrid wasn't a novel feeling, though, and it didn't bother him for her to see him like that. What did bother him was that she could see the extent of his injuries. The gauze had been taken off and the wound had been airing itself out overnight. Some skin had returned to the area, but it was grotesquely disfigured considering it was still healing.

Astrid's eyes darted to his shoulder and back, a blush covering her cheeks. That was weird. Astrid must not have wanted to make him seem like a freak or some kind of sideshow attraction. "Well, it doesn't look... _too_ bad. But Hiccup, promise me you'll talk to him as soon as you get out of here, okay?"

Hiccup rolled his eyes hopelessly. "It's not like it's that simple, Astrid! He won't talk to me."

"So did he visit you while you were in here?" Astrid leaned in like she was onto something.

Hiccup bit his lip. "He did, but he didn't stay long. When I tried to tell him, he refused to listen and left," Hiccup sighed heavily. This was one of the hardest things to admit. "I don't know if he'll even be in our room, still."

Astrid's face betrayed her. "Of course he's not going to be... You said you sent in the application once you got home from vacation. _Right?_ " It was true, Hiccup had been ordered by Astrid to change his roommate assignment. And Hiccup was supposed to do it when he got home. But in all honesty, the idea wasn't appealing in the least and he'd forgotten about it in favor of trying to contact the boy instead. Astrid seemed to realize this as she saw Hiccup's face grow guilty. "Never mind," she sighed and continued. "Well, maybe he's still there. It doesn't sound like Jack to just leave like that. I thought he was under the impression that you liked him─"

"What?" Hiccup sat up, more slowly this time, and leaned toward the blond.

Without skipping a beat, Astrid said, "I figured he kept going after you because you weren't exactly denying him─ and you _weren't_ ," Astrid added in as soon as she saw Hiccup begin to protest, "and it makes no sense that he'd just cut you off like this. Especially after you took a bullet for him. I mean, really, what did you _say_ to make him runaway?"

"I-I─" Hiccup's face fell. "That's just it. I don't know what I did. It might have been something that my dad had said, but I can't imagine..." Hiccup slumped downward, his mind bogged with all of these confusing puzzles.

He felt arms wrap around him and he melted into the hug with a depressing shudder. His injured arm was held carefully close and Astrid's hands rubbed his back in an effort to comfort him. Astrid's chin rested on top of his head. Hiccup's hair tickled her nostrils but she didn't shift around too much to change that. Once the silence had gone on for a little while, Hiccup told her about what Jack had said last time they saw each other. He spared her from the details of his life story, but gave her enough to understand that it wasn't a light manner. Hiccup admitted that Astrid had been right─ Jack had liked him. Had. But now, Hiccup wasn't so sure. Astrid listened and kept a hand at his back, gently urging him on when his words got stuck. He didn't cry─ he felt that he didn't have any tears in his body, but that may have been due to dehydration over the past day or so─ but his body was racked with anguish. Astrid was being the only friend he could truly talk to about this, despite having broken up with her not long ago. She didn't seem too concerned about herself, however, as she focused on keeping him sane. She insisted that he needed to keep fighting. When the sunset streamed in through the window and they had traversed into silence again, she got up to leave.

"I'll keep an eye on Jack," Astrid said as she put her hand on the door handle. "Just get back to college without getting shot, okay?"

A faint smirk twitched at the edge of Hiccup's lips. "Deal."

* * *

The next morning, Stoick arrived at the hospital to pick up his son. Hiccup was to keep the bandages on and change them after every time he showered and let the wound air out for twelve hours. This was supposed to continue for another week. Hiccup was released from the hospital and wheeled out in a chair until he was past the doors─ hospital policy or whatever. Hiccup didn't fight it and was glad he didn't because his father was making a fuss about his well-being and thanked the nurse before turning to show Hiccup to the car. Hiccup's own car was back in Berk, getting fixed by the family's mechanic. It was supposed to be ready by the time they got back after the two-hour car ride north. From there, Hiccup could drive back to college on his own. Stoick wasn't too keen on letting his son out of his sight again, but he knew that school was important─ even if he didn't like what Hiccup was going into because it wasn't "the family business." There were more important concerns about Hiccup that Stoick had in mind.

The first half hour of the car ride was awkwardly silent as Hiccup leaned his head against the window and twiddled his thumbs. His body had made it clear that it had slept long enough and was now wide awake. The streetlights, useless in the midmorning light, flashed by him without registering in his mind. The colorful fields and trees blurred together and all he could make out were random streaks of reds, oranges, and yellows. The other day, he'd wanted to paint this place on a canvas. Now that he was leaving, the weight inside him lifted a little and he believed that perhaps it was better to let it go. At least until he allowed himself to think about the blue-eyed heartache that lodged in his chest. Hiccup focused his attention on the car's atmosphere and was still puzzled. He couldn't tell if his father was upset or worried or anything. Stoick had always been fairly hard to read.

"I called Valka and told her about what happened," Stoick said at last as the car joined onto the highway, "but I think you should call her for yourself. She's worried sick about you."

Hiccup knew that his father was trying to break the ice, but talking about his mother didn't help. And talking to his mother about all of this in particular _definitely_ didn't help. Hiccup didn't even turn his head when he answered. "I will when I get back. I need some time."

But Hiccup could tell that the conversation wasn't done. The uneasy feeling hung in the air and Stoick was tapping his fingers on the steering wheel sporadically. Before Hiccup could ask, Stoick was talking a thousand miles a minute. Why was everyone so bent on getting every single word out around him recently? He had to admit it was getting annoying, but it was his father, so he stayed quiet and listened. "I just want to say that I'm sorry, son. I shouldn't have gotten so upset over the whole thing. It was just very─ very sudden. Much like the Toothless situation. But I reacted horribly, Hiccup, and I shouldn't have made you leave. I never intended to kick you out. You can stay home. You don't have to go back to school so soon if you don't want to, but I have a feeling that you'll be running back to college the minute you get home. I took the liberty of packing your car before they took it off to get fixed, so you can take off as soon as you want.

"And about... about how you feel..." Hiccup pursed his lips and tried to struggle through Stoick's stumbling and rambling, "I don't think it changes you. And it certainly doesn't change the fact that you are my son. Besides," Stoick tried a laugh, "I already tried disowning you over Toothless, and we all know how that panned out," he laughed again, but it sputtered out of existence when he saw that Hiccup wasn't laughing along. Clearing his throat, Stoick tried a different direction. "Anyway, I figured it out when that boy Jack came to visit you. I'll admit, when you said someone else, I hadn't imagined someone with dyed hair. But you fall for who you fall for, so I didn't judge too much. Rightfully so, too, because I could tell that he cared, Hiccup. He─"

"Who gave you the RIGHT to tell him?" Hiccup spun around shouted suddenly. His father's words were cut violently short and he stared intermittently at his son─ since he had to keep his eyes on the road─ who had just yelled at him. When did his son get so brazen?

"What are you talking about, son?" Stoick backpedaled. "I only told him that we'd fought─"

"You told him I was gay!" Hiccup's voice rose and broke at the end. He hadn't wanted to get into this argument, or even mention what had occurred, but his father was insistent.

"Aren't you?" Stoick asked louder, thoroughly confused by his son's outburst.

"I am," Hiccup admitted freely─ he'd made peace with that, "but _he_ didn't know that! I was going to tell him myself and there was going to be this moment and everything was supposed to end happily and _you told him instead!_ "

Stoick narrowed his eyes darkly and glanced at the review mirror before changing lanes to speed past some annoyingly slow driver. Hiccup realized too late that Stoick was getting very angry. He'd yelled at him one word too many and now either one of two things could happen. One: Hiccup could get yelled at back. Or two: Stoick was going to get them into a car accident. On second thought: both could happen as well.

"I'm sorry, Dad," Hiccup muttered and looked down at his lap, "you didn't know I hadn't told him yet. It's not your fault."

Stoick grunted but otherwise kept his words to himself. With all of these pauses, Hiccup hoped that they would be home soon. His father was driving the slower route, however, and Hiccup had noticed. He returned to staring out the window and waited out the rest of this agonizing car ride. Another hour passed and he still couldn't fall asleep. Of course, Hiccup had never been able to fall asleep in a car. It came from driving one himself, and liking it quite a lot. Even Toothless liked the effortless speed of his car. Hiccup often took Toothless out for random drives whenever he hadn't been doing something else for the family or with his friends. Forlornly, Hiccup thought about how much his cat must miss him. He wished, not for the first time, that he could just keep the cat on campus with him. But he'd hidden the cat long enough and didn't want to subject poor Toothless to that again. It was almost an hour before Stoick had mumbled something that Hiccup didn't catch.

"Say that again?" Hiccup turned to his father finally.

"I love you, son," Stoick repeated himself. The car went silent again and Hiccup recognized that it was a sincere apology.

"I love you, too, Dad," Hiccup forgave, thankful to have had that loose end tied up.

Now he had to do the same for Jack before everything fell to pieces. _Please stay alive, you idiot._

* * *

 **A/N: Okay... is it just me or did this chapter sound like it was rambling? Ah, well. At least poor Hiccup knows what he has to do now. Go, Hiccup, go!**

 **And since I feel like this chapter was too fast, I'll probably upload the last chapter earlier (like, Monday or late weekend or something; up to you guys, really). Consider it my gift! :)**

 **Have a great day/night! :)**


	10. Good Trouble

**A/N: Sorry it's a little late but it's the last chapter! EEP! Guys, I was so excited to write this chapter, you have no idea! At the same time, I'm so sad that it's finished... :( Well, for the most part. There will be a sequel! :D Look forward to more HiJack from yours truly, because heavens know I can't keep myself from writing it!**

 **Please read, review, and enjoy! :)**

* * *

 **Good Trouble**

* * *

Jack realized he'd never asked Hiccup about when he would be released from the hospital. It probably didn't matter, but Jack hoped he would be reassigned with a new room before then. Even as he got back to the empty room he felt suffocated. Hiccup's stuff seemed to stare him down and Jack wanted out of there as soon as possible. There was no way they could remain roommates after what had happened. Perhaps they could be friends in the distant future, although Jack was still dubious at the prospect. It was clear that Hiccup hadn't been interested and it was clear that Jack had been too hopeful. He should have just said no. He should have just said no.

It was killing him.

The only thing that helped him was being in class. Despite never paying full attention in them before, it became a sweet relief when he could sit down and focus on words out of another's mouth and slides with information splayed in front of the room. He had to admit that he was learning more than he'd thought he would. However, there were always lulls in the classes in which people would begin to whisper and he'd be alone with his thoughts like he was the rest of the day when he wasn't in class. It made him bitter even though he knew there was nothing he could do about it.

Jack had only just gotten back two days ago, but it felt like an eternity through the walking and sitting and staring and writing. While his face remained that of stone, his insides were churning and ripping and colliding. Every step threatened to trip him up. His hands were shaky, unsteady whenever he wrote. His eyes were constantly strained and tired with black and blue beginning to show easily on his pale face. Food had little taste and Jack didn't care for it. He still sat in the dining hall with a small plate of carrots or some toast or maybe a few pieces of fruit, but each time he didn't touch a thing. It mocked him and he wanted to heave whenever he remotely _thought_ about putting a piece in his mouth. Dumping the contents into the trash, he'd be off to class or the library or _anywhere_ but the dorm without eating. His stomach stopped rumbling about a day into the change, so that didn't bother him too much. Sure his vision was a little hazy, but it would only be in small episodes, not all the time. Jack figured he was just a little sick, alleviating from the shock of recent events.

On the other hand, Jack was glad that he didn't have to worry about his father anymore. He didn't want to say anything to his mother, but both he and Sophie knew that they were safe. Okay, Sophie had always been safe. No one could ever hurt her intentionally. Even their father hadn't meant to hit her. It didn't change the fact that he had, but at least it could never happen again. Jack and Sophie had celebrated on their own in the car when their mother had gone into a gas station─ she had insisted on driving Jack back to campus herself. They had hugged and smiled and shared laughs like old times. The one bright thing in his life had pulled him through for those few hours until they left him at the place where everything changed. Then she was gone again and he wouldn't see her until Christmas. He could wait until then. He could make it.

Jack just needed some time.

Walking out of his last class for that Wednesday, Jack made his way for the library. It was down the central mall─ an open, grassy field with trees lining the walks on the edge─ at the end with a giant angled staircase. The granite and brick front towered over most of the buildings on campus, with flags centered over the second floor faux balcony that fluttered toward the trees. Jack would sit at the steps and play with his phone to pass some of the time. Then he would go inside and sit at a computer, dawdling around with the mouse and pretending to do something important. But this time, just before plodding onto the first step, he heard his name being called. Jack turned around, his eyebrows knotted close, to see a blond girl bounding his way.

"Astrid?" She hadn't called out to him, had she?

"Hey, Jack!" Astrid flashed a smile and shifted her bag's weight. "H-how's it going?" She pointed to the stairs and Jack nodded. They began going up the stairs while Jack racked his brain for a reason she'd want to talk to him.

Then he realized he had to answer her. "Things are fine," Jack wanted to believe that he wasn't lying. He was still trying to figure out why she was here. Did she hear about what happened? He thought Hiccup and Astrid had broken up. She couldn't care that much now. Wasn't that how breakups worked? One would try to forget the other person? Maybe she did care and wanted to talk to him through Jack. Well, she had another thing coming. "I haven't seen him recently, so if you're trying to pass on a message, don't ask me." He couldn't say the boy's name, lest his emotions get the better of him.

Astrid glanced at him questioningly as they crossed the granite walkway toward the door. "What are you talking about? I'm just... you know... shooting the breeze. Come on," she punched his shoulder awkwardly, "what class did you just have?" There's no way she actually cares...

"Euro Civ.," Jack answered without thinking, "but, really, what─"

"Is it hard?" Astrid turned to face him as they got into the lobby and stood out of the way of others. Why was she trying to grab his attention? She'd never been too excited to talk to him before, and that was an understatement. Astrid had always given off that uninterested and rough personality, and Jack had caught her sneers in his direction before. That was back when she and Hiccup had been dating and after a few meetings at the dorm room. Jack tried his best to be himself and sociable and everything, but she still hadn't liked him. Jack should have taken it as forewarning. But this was from somewhere out of left field and it was leaving him dumbfounded.

"Uh," Jack tried to remember her question, "not really. Just a lot of factual stuff. It can get really dry sometimes," _like this conversation_.

"Really?" Astrid thrummed her fingers against the wall on which she was leaning. "Fascinating..." she smiled cheekily and looked around the room. Jack could tell she was trying to think up something more to say.

"Alright, spill. Why are you talking to me?"

Astrid pulled her attention to him again. "What? I just wanted to see how you were doing. I thought maybe Hiccup was taking the breakup badly and taking it out on you. And that's no fun, right? So how─ how are you?"

Jack's fists clenched inside his sweatshirt's front pocket as he tried to hide his scorn. _Yeah, Hiccup was taking it badly, alright. Guess he didn't tell you he wasn't into girls, did he? Glad to know he kept it from both of us._ Jack glanced away, uncomfortably searching for an acceptable answer. "I'm fine, but I've got a paper to work on, so I think I'll get─" Jack had been turning around and about to head off to the computer lab when a hand slapped his shoulder and Astrid ran in front of him.

"Jack, wait," Astrid bit her lip and took her hand off Jack's shoulder. The sudden touch had been unnerving and he couldn't think long enough to get away from Astrid's gaze. "I told Hiccup I'd see how you were doing. I know he was at the hospital; I went and saw him. He's worried about you, Jack."

Jack knew he should have ignored her and moved on. Now he had to be careful not to make a scene. His heart grew colder and he shouldered past Astrid. Like hell Hiccup was worried. And just then he realized what Astrid had implicated─ Hiccup had probably told her all about it. So Jack's story was out. Great. He wasn't sure what Astrid would do with the information aside from rub it in his face, but maybe if he denied her his answers, perhaps she wouldn't say anything to anyone else. Jack tried not to stomp as he walked down the hallway. There were other entrances to this gigantic library and he could lose her through one of those and head back to his room. It wasn't the ideal place he wanted to be, but it would have to do. Astrid couldn't get into a dorm she didn't live in. Jack was almost out when he heard quick steps catch up to him.

"Jack!" Astrid hissed as she reached his side. "Alright, I probably shouldn't have told you. I get that. But you can't just walk away from this! I've seen how you've been handling this since you got back. You're not eating and from the looks of those bags under your eyes, I'd guess you're not getting the best night's sleep, either. Hiccup cares about you, Jack. What would he say if he saw you like this?"

Jack came to an abrupt halt and turned to her, staring her down. "Hiccup doesn't care. He made that clear."

"No, Jack," Astrid huffed, "you don't understand. Hiccup─"

"Just go away," Jack's tired voice silenced her faster than a scream would have. He walked onward again and left the library. He didn't actually need the computer, anyway.

* * *

Jack didn't last long in the dorm room before he felt himself going crazy. He still hadn't unpacked yet─ his suitcase open and sprawled across his side of the floor with clothes this way and that. Of the articles, his sweatshirt was included. When he'd gotten into the room, the heat from being indoors proved to be too much for Jack. Even his tee─ a faded gray─ felt constricting. He saw no reason to unpack; he would get the email from Housing soon enough and would have to pack everything up to move yet again. These things never seemed to end.

But Astrid's words kept nagging at him. _Hiccup cares about you_. Shut up! If Hiccup had cared, he would have at least had the decency to _tell_ Jack at some point in the past month about _anything of the sort_. He would have at least mentioned that detail about himself. Whether he was interested or not, Jack thought he deserved to know this about Hiccup. It would have saved him all the trouble he'd gone through to even find the answer. Jack kicked his suitcase in anger, hopping and holding his foot when he realized how much it hurt. Cursing to himself, he leaned onto his desk and grimaced. It hadn't hurt as much as the dull ache in his chest, but at least it was something to focus on.

Jack supposed, in hindsight, that he could have just asked Hiccup. There were so many times he could have brought the subject up with him, but Jack had been so nervous every time Hiccup came into the room. Once he'd realized how he felt, Jack knew it was going to be hard to just talk to him. He'd tried his best, and as far as he knew, he had pulled it off well. But Jack never expected to fall _this hard_. Thankfully he wouldn't have to confront these feelings after his room got reassigned. He would never see this room again. Jack bit his lip and tried to breathe as the pain in his toe subsided and the other emotions flooded through. Pounding his fist onto the wooden desk, Jack shoved himself outward and stormed out of the room. He couldn't bear to stay in the room anymore. Everything hurt and the room was only making it worse. Despite it being near sunset out, Jack didn't bother to take his sweatshirt. He also realized too late that his keycard was still inside the sweatshirt's pocket, but he couldn't be bothered to fix the problem now.

The air outside contained a slight breeze that ruffled Jack's snowy white hair. He let the wind caress his face as his legs carried him nowhere in particular. With no destination in mind, Jack kicked a large pebble and saw that it landed within his path again. He led the pebble along, walking slightly out of his way in order to push it back onto the sidewalk he was using. There were no people around on a Wednesday evening, so he wasn't fearful of being judged. Of all the things Jack could be judged for, kicking a pebble was the least of his worries. The inanimate companion eventually found itself in a patch of grass and Jack frowned. It wasn't worth the effort, so he continued on his way with no stone to keep him company.

Jack sighed and recognized the fact that he had been looking down for most of the walk. Upon lifting his head, he realized he'd walked to the campus's fountain across from the student's union building. It was a large, circular piece with benches placed in the field surrounding it. Jack ignored them and made his way to the side of the fountain. The center piece involved three tiers of excruciatingly detailed dishes and marble fairies balancing along the edges as water fell from each height. Jack watched the droplets as they traversed from the top fairy piece down into the smallest dish then to the second and the last dish before finally dropping into the broad pool spanning nearly fifteen feet in diameter. The pumps were turned down low during the night, so the humming was minimal. During the day, it would be much louder. In either case, the water usually masked the motors and this time was no different. Jack peered into the water with dead eyes, looking around the side of the pool and the trees that reached above it into the sky. The recessed lighting underneath the water's surface splayed dabbled reflections across the yellow, red, and orange leaves. The show was more pronounced by the fact that the sun had already begun to set, splashing yet more color onto everything. It reminded Jack that it was definitely late autumn and winter would be there in a few more weeks. That was a more cheerful thought, and he smiled faintly as he sat on the fountain's edge, eyes fixed on the scene above him.

Winter would be better.

* * *

Hiccup nearly crashed several times and immediately slowed down at the very hint of any police officers patrolling various areas only to speed back up again when he knew he was in the clear. He hadn't gotten into an accident yet and he hoped that luck would hold out. His brand new windshield was a beautiful sight as he hopped in as soon as he got home. Stoick had hugged him goodbye and shook his head with a laugh when he saw Hiccup driving off as fast as he ever did drive. The boy had spirit.

Hiccup didn't feel like he had spirit when he left towards the end of the afternoon. He'd gotten a call from Astrid saying that she'd talked to Jack earlier and that it was as bad as she'd suspected. Hiccup hinged on every word that she said, questioning every detail that she could give about Jack's condition. None of it was flattering. Astrid wouldn't sugarcoat anything, and this one time, Hiccup was glad about that. Astrid had said that Jack felt like Hiccup didn't care at all. Hiccup couldn't let that go. He'd resolved during the last half hour of the car ride with his dad that he would do exactly as Stoick had predicted─ go after Jack.

The concern forced his hand to grip the steering wheel and press further on the gas. He only had a few more miles to go before he hit city traffic and he prayed to the gods that it wouldn't be too bad. He had to get back to campus and find Jack. Hopefully he hadn't been able to move out yet. Hiccup didn't know who he would have to contact to find out, and he wasn't exactly the type to stalk someone. Besides, finding Jack in the first place was going to be difficult. If there was one thing Hiccup knew about Jack, he knew that the boy could be invisible pretty much whenever he wanted─ and whenever he didn't. Hiccup's mind fogged over with Jack's story again and he bit his lip. He couldn't begin to understand what kind of pain Jack must have felt all those years. Jack had poured his heart out to his family and they'd rejected him, except for Sophie. But no one could live a happy life with only one person they could truly trust. Ideally, one person could drive another's entire existence, but Hiccup knew better. The real world wasn't as romantic. Life was better when you had two or three people beside you. Hiccup wanted to be one of those select people for Jack.

Well, Hiccup wanted more. He already settled his mind on that matter. But his heart was still tugging at this chest and pulling him forward. He needed to see Jack, to set things right, to say everything on his mind. Of course, the last piece on his agenda would most likely be impossible. Hiccup couldn't even articulate it to himself. Jack, the boy with spirited blue eyes and a snarky expression permanently on his lips, wouldn't leave his head to wander in peace. Jack, the boy with the light laugh and mischievous quirks, made his stomach flutter uneasily and his fingers tremble against the steering wheel. As Hiccup stopped for the fourth consecutive stoplight, he realized he hadn't even thought of what to tell Jack. He was right back at square one. Back before all of the wounds had torn them open and apart. Hiccup let a low growl slip from his throat as he waited for the unbearably unresponsive light to turn green. _Hurry up!_

It was around sunset when Hiccup finally parked the car in the dorm's parking lot─ which had taken awhile considering the lot was full during the week. It took several cycles of searching, but he'd found a spot and parked it hastily. He could deal with any parking tickets he'd receive later. Hiccup grabbed a few things and ran toward the building. He could deal with unloading his car later, too. Running up the stairs, he rummaged his pockets for his keycard. The room's door was closed and he had to put down the various things he'd grabbed from the car to look for his card. Once he located it, he unlocked the door and walked in cautiously.

"Hey, Jack?" Hiccup asked before he could glance around the room completely and see that Jack was nowhere to be found. In a sense, Hiccup was relieved. He still hadn't completely thought out what to say and at least he'd have a few minutes to settle in and collect himself. Hiccup saw Jack's messy suitcase lying on the floor and sighed heavily. Jack hadn't applied for a new room yet. Or he had and the email hadn't been replied to and Hiccup had limited time. After putting all of his stuff on the dorm bed, Hiccup puzzled through the places where Jack could be right now. It was around six, so the only places open would be the union and the library. Hiccup swore at nothing in particular. The campus was always less lively after dinner during the week and things shut down early. Of course, the dining hall was also open and would be open for its extended nighttime hours (thanks to the lovely habits of college students), but that didn't help out now. Astrid had said that Jack wasn't eating, so he wouldn't be there. Jack also never went into the union unless he lost his─

That's when Hiccup saw a shiny plastic peeking out of Jack's blue sweatshirt on the ground. Holding his breath, he pulled it out to reveal that Jack had indeed forgotten his card, wherever he had gone. An idea slowly formed in Hiccup's brain as he grabbed his own card and bolted out the door without a jacket.

Prosthetic clacking against the concrete, Hiccup veered up the hill toward the center of campus. Ever few steps, his fake leg would dig into the cracks and he would stumble forward, but he was running so quickly that he always managed to keep himself upright. His lungs and injured shoulder screamed at him to slow down but he wouldn't listen. Before he'd begun running, he had texted Astrid saying that Jack wasn't in the room. She hadn't answered and Hiccup had to go with his gut on this one. His dry throat was threatening to crack again as he panted through his mouth. For all of his training, one would think he'd known better than to breathe through his mouth when running, but his mind was otherwise engaged. Checking his watch, he realized he'd only have five minutes before the union closed and he wouldn't have another hint of where to look. Glancing upward, Hiccup was frightened to realize that the sun was almost gone. The sky was becoming a light mix of purple and orange and it was getting harder to see.

Hiccup had arrived at the walkway between the union and the library when he noticed another person out on the field by the fountain. It was the same fountain he'd thrown his prosthetic across a couple weeks ago. However, the smirk that was on his lips just then disappeared when he began to recognize the person sitting there. He had beautiful white hair tinged with the sun's dying rays and the watery reflections of the pool. His body was hunched inward and one small, pale hand played with the water in tiny, unknown patterns. Hiccup's heart lurched forward ahead of his body and he almost fell because of it.

 _Jack._

* * *

Jack, with his face in his palms, couldn't handle watching all of the colors change around him. The wind had died down but the temperature continued to drop. His arms dissolved into a canvas for goose bumps, but he couldn't care less. The cold was somewhat comforting, all things considered. It was the same thing he'd done every night since coming back to campus. Letting the frigidness seep into his being as he steeled his brain against emotions he didn't want to feel again had become a rhythm for him already. This was the only way he knew he'd be able to cope with losing Hiccup. Jack's arm closest to the fountain's pool found its way to the water's surface and his fingers traced little snowflake patterns, sending shivers up his forearm. Steps were heard relatively close by, but Jack figured it was just some student trying to get into the union for some food. Jack ran a hand through his hair absently and continued his sullen meditation. A moment later, Jack heard something settle down a few feet from him. He ignored it at first, but couldn't resist a peek.

To Jack's right, the guy was sitting just out of arm's reach. His rigid posture, more than anything else, gave him away. Jack's eyes traveled dangerously up to this person's head. He instantly wished that he hadn't. Hiccup sat right there, clad in a green tee and cargo shorts, and twiddled his thumbs. His brown hair looked nearly black in what little light there was left. Jack noticed that Hiccup wasn't even looking at him, but Jack knew Hiccup had sat down here on purpose. Although it wouldn't surprise him if Hiccup actually was ignoring him and didn't know he was here. It would make sense. Jack, for once, wanted to be invisible. Obviously he wouldn't be able to do so this time. Go figure.

"What are you doing here?" Jack dropped one hand lifelessly onto his lap, the other one still touching the water, and stared at the ground once more.

Nothing. Nada. Zilch. The silence remained and Jack felt stupid for even trying to talk. He had hardly expected to run into Hiccup again after recent events, and this occurrence jarred his senses. His heart beat faster before his brain could order it otherwise. His skull began to pound and he winced at the sudden onset. How dare Hiccup come to find him! Was he just here to reiterate what the last two people had told him?

"Never mind," Jack decided, "don't say anything. I'll just head back. Don't bother─"

Heated arms swarmed his chilled body and Jack stiffened from the contact, his eyes wide in disbelief. His breath shaky, he glanced down to see that the freckled arms had slid around his shoulders and back and pulled him close to Hiccup's body. Before he could refuse the thousand emotions from surfacing, a blush spread across his cheeks and he tried to pull away. The pressure surrounding him didn't change, but it wasn't threatening. Jack's hands had flinched upward in reaction to the hug, and now they rested against Hiccup's chest. The brunet's head was downcast, resting upon Jack's shoulder and breathing warm against his cool neck. The breaths were ragged and practically forced. Had Hiccup _run_ _throughout campus_ just to find him? Jack had to admit that he was touched by the thought, but he shook it away.

"What─"

"Don't you dare," Hiccup muttered barely above a whisper. His voice was strained and filtered with something Jack couldn't quite identify. "Don't you dare say that I don't care about you."

Jack pushed against Hiccup uselessly when he saw Hiccup's head lift to face him. Forest green eyes, glimmering in the unsteady, watery reflections stared at him and Jack stopped resisting. The gaze only lasted a moment before Jack registered the brush of heat against his lips. It was a full second later when Jack's entire body shut down, freezing and sweltering at the same time. Hiccup's brown strands of hair tickled the bridge of Jack's nose, but the feeling was hardly recognized. Even though both of them were still, Jack could sense Hiccup's pulse beating against his fingers still lying on the other boy's chest. It was fast and irregular and frantic, and for a moment Jack believed that it was just his own heart he was feeling. Hiccup moved his head closer and shifted, forming his lips to Jack's more comfortably. Jack was about to close his eyes, about to lean into Hiccup trustingly, when the situation dawned on him.

Hiccup was kissing him.

No. Hiccup was kissing him out of pity. Mustering what little strength he had, Jack pushed away from Hiccup and shoved the boy further. "Are you _trying_ to make this harder?"

Hiccup, lips still parted, looked at him in confusion. "W-what? I─ I just─ you! I mean─ I looked all over and─ and I found you. I─ I─ I needed to talk─ well, I guess I didn't really─ anyway!" Hiccup paused to catch his breath and let his eyes rest upon Jack's again, the same confusion still present. "What do you mean?"

"You know exactly what I mean," Jack spat, still blushing embarrassingly. "You're just kissing me because you feel bad about not telling me."

"What No─! Well, yes, but─ wait. Um... look. I know you're upset because my father had to be the one to tell you, but I swear─ I _swear_ ─I never meant for it to happen that way. I wanted to─"

"Yeah, well, he did," Jack cut Hiccup off, not wanting to hear any excuses, "and I get it. You're not interested. Just let me─"

" _Not interested?!_ " Hiccup grabbed Jack's shoulders urgently but gently. "Jack, _I literally took a bullet for you_. How can you tell me what I feel after all of that? I couldn't have even told myself how I felt until a few days ago. That's why I wanted to go to your house, Jack. I was going to tell you that night. But your father got involved and─ and I couldn't just sit by while he _hurt_ you. I was about ready to release all this─ raw─ vikingness─" Hiccup crudely pointed to his own slightly muscled physique "─on that guy if it meant he wouldn't hit you anymore. No one deserves to live like that, Jack. I'm glad I was there that night. I'm glad I took that bullet. I just... What─ what even made you think I _didn't_ feel anything for you?"

Jack's face, just like the rest of his body, was stiff with shock. "Y-you didn't know until...?"

"I didn't know until Astrid and I argued about it not even an hour before I left. It sounds stupid, I know. How─ how do you not know this sort of thing after eighteen years? I guess... I never put much thought into it. But that doesn't excuse myself. I was hoping to tell you this under better circumstances, but... I'm gay."

Jack turned away from Hiccup, narrowing his eyes. "I know th─"

Hiccup's hands tightened on Jack's shoulders and he cut off Jack's retort with one short sentence.

"And I love you."

* * *

That was it. That was the feeling Hiccup couldn't mold out of abstractness for days now. It was the feeling that had forced him to lay his hands on the horn that dreadful night. It was the feeling that raked his brain nonstop. It was the feeling that drove his body forward to this moment. Even though the words were exactly what he had been searching for, they still felt unrealistic rolling off his tongue. But they were out and Hiccup put himself behind them one hundred _thousand_ percent.

Jack's stare misted over unexpectedly and the blush on his cheeks deepened. When Hiccup had first noticed Jack's blush, he had to admit that it had caused him to blush as well. The color stood out─ even in the now dark blue of the night─ against his stark white hair and light blue eyes. And to Hiccup's utter amazement for the boy in front of him, it suited Jack. Hiccup hoped one day to sketch this exact moment of Jack─ it was the moment where Jack's defenses fell and Hiccup could see the real boy he'd always known there was. Hiccup licked his lips and brought them inward, biting on both the upper and lower lip at the same time as he waited for Jack to respond. Jack didn't swat Hiccup's arms from his shoulders, so that must be a good thing. Right? Right?!

"Hic─"

But by that point it was too late. Hiccup already had his lips back on Jack's, and this time he wasn't letting go. The kiss was more urgent this time around as he tilted his head for a better angle and wrapped his arms around Jack's shoulders. Every emotion that tugged at his consciousness was poured into this movement and Hiccup struggled to convey each and every one of them. Jack was still motionless, like the first time, but not as frozen as before. His lips were still slightly warm from Hiccup's last kiss and it just felt _right_. Hiccup had never thought himself to be like this before, but now nothing else mattered. Earlier this same day, he had just been getting out of the hospital and now he was back on campus, ensnaring Jack close to his body. His injured arm yelled at him to lessen his grip, but he ignored it again. Then Hiccup felt Jack shift and next thing he knew, Jack's arms were wrapped around his neck, pushing his own embrace downward to the small of Jack's back. His lips relaxed and pushed against Hiccup's, accepting the boy's outburst. The pleasant, faint taste of peppermint could be felt on the younger boy's smooth lips and Hiccup swore that he fell just a little more for the boy.

Hiccup parted his lips and turned his head in a new way, trying to memorize the feeling of Jack against him. Although at first Jack didn't respond, he eventually parted his own lips ever so slightly and began running a cold hand through Hiccup's hair. The novel feeling was so intense that Hiccup strengthened his embrace─ against the better judgment of his injured shoulder─ and kissed a little deeper. Each and every little movement was gradual and measured, as if everything had to be perfect. Oh, and Hiccup most certainly perceived this moment to be perfect. His chest was both heavy as a weight and light as air, his arms were both tired and invigorated, his mind was both cluttered and at ease. The churning in his stomach continued as Jack responded to every little detail and Hiccup was spurred onward.

They kept each other like this for a minute or so before Jack pulled away and breathed unevenly. "I─ I'm so sorry, Hiccup. I didn't─"

Hiccup shut him up with another kiss; this one small and sweet. "You don't need to say anything. I said it and I meant it. I love you."

Jack's eyes darted down to Hiccup's lips for what seem like the billionth time and he bit his lip. _Gods,_ did Hiccup find that tantalizing. Then a smirk curled one side of his lips upward. Never mind, _that_ was tantalizing. At least he was within Hiccup's grasp...

"I love you," Jack said, interrupting Hiccup's thoughts again. Hiccup could tell that the boy was testing out the words rather than really saying them to him as a response and could see that Jack's smirk wasn't disappearing. "I love you. I really do, Hiccup. But..."

Hiccup only had an instant to think about Jack's next words when he realized Jack had pushed him. Without enough time to regain his balance, Hiccup fell into the fountain pool with flailing appendages. Hiccup realized his prosthetic had been put under the water and he just _knew_ that it was going to take forever to dry out. The water washed over him and he spat out water as it tried to travel down his throat. Hiccup resurfaced from the foot's depth of water and shook his hair out of his face, glaring at Jack. The boy was laughing uncontrollably, holding his stomach with his legs balancing in the air. Water dripped off a section of Hiccup's hair as he watched the boy's previously hardened features lighten and glow against the watery blues that refracted onto his face from the disturbed water. The sight was more than heartwarming and Hiccup almost forgot that Jack had pushed him into the water.

Almost.

Catching Jack unaware, Hiccup tugged onto the boy's shirt and pulled him down so that they would be soaked together.

* * *

"Hey, Hic?"

"Hmm?" Hiccup's eyes fluttered open. They had been napping on Hiccup's bed for most of Saturday. Well, Hiccup had been napping. They were watching Netflix until Hiccup's drowsiness overcame him. He'd had to change his wound's dressings earlier that morning─ a task in which Jack was eager to help out with (probably because he knew Hiccup would be willingly shirtless)─ and he didn't particularly feel like doing anything too strenuous that day. Or anything at all. Jack happily obliged with Hiccup's wishes and curled up next to the boy, pulling his own body higher up than Hiccup's and cradling the older boy humorously. Hiccup had let it happen and set up his laptop so that they could both view it easily. It was only a few minutes into the movie that Jack had picked when Hiccup felt his eyelids grow heavy and the room began to dim. Now that they were open again, however, Hiccup realized that the movie was over.

"You fell asleep," Jack amused pleasantly, pecking a kiss onto Hiccup's forehead, "are you feeling alright?"

"Mm..." Hiccup rolled over and pulled Jack closer, bringing him lower so that Hiccup could be the taller one. One arm snaked its way underneath Jack's neck and the other rested on his waist without Hiccup ever consciously thinking of doing such things. "I'm..." Hiccup yawned as the last word came out, "fine. Just tired."

Jack's throat uttered a giggle without moving his lips. "That's fine with me." Jack's head buried itself into Hiccup's bare, freckled chest and their legs entwined lazily. Every night since Hiccup confessed, Jack had stayed in his bed─ intentionally─ and slept better than he had in weeks. The fact that the bed was twin-sized mattered very little. In fact, it just forced them to stay closer to each other, and neither party had a problem with that. Jack absentmindedly pressed his lips into Hiccup's chest and hummed satisfactorily when Hiccup twitched beside him. Jack knew Hiccup was a little ticklish, but Jack's cool lips always seemed to elevate the sensation.

Out of nowhere, Jack remembered something. "Hey, Hic?"

"Whaaaaaaaaaaaaat...?" Hiccup half groaned and dug his head further into his pillow, clutching Jack tighter. Hiccup then cleared his throat and licked his lips before falling back into a gentle snore.

Jack shook his head and smiled. Hiccup was too damn adorable. The younger boy quietly dug his phone out of his pajama pants' pocket. Clicking on the app that he wanted, he lowered the volume before tapping the 'call' button.

Tooth's face appeared, happily eager and excitedly bubbly as always. "Jack! It's been like, two weeks since you've Skyped me! What's up? How is your─" Tooth cut off her own sentence when she realized where Jack's camera was pointed. There was a brunet─ Hiccup, as her look registered─ cuddling Jack. She'd always figured that about Jack, something which he had learned later on in this conversation, but he let it slip. Tooth gushed, yet again, and begged for Jack to tell her everything. Jack glossed over a lot of the details─ pretty much everything gruesome because he knew Tooth would want _even more_ details─ and told her the parts he knew she would rave over forever. A squeal from his phone's speakers told him he was right. But that same squeal also woke up a certain boy.

"Did you─ did you pick another movie...?" Hiccup grimaced before opening his eyes again. Then he saw that Jack was holding his phone upward but smiling at him with a goofy expression.

"Say 'hi' to Tooth, Hic!" Jack flashed a smile at Hiccup, who had brought his hand up and pawed at Jack's face.

"I hate you," Hiccup whispered. Then he turned to Tooth's image on Jack's phone and forced a pleasant smile that turned into a real smile. "Hi, Tooth. Can we call you later? Jack's still in time-out for plunging me into ice water."

"It wasn't _that_ cold," Jack retorted, muffled by Hiccup's hand. "And you liked it..." he mumbled and faked a sneer when he thought Hiccup wasn't looking.

Tooth giggled and blushed. "Don't be too mean to him! I know he's trouble, but he's good trouble. Sleep well, guys!" Tooth winked and ended the call.

Hiccup took his hand off of Jack's face to steal Jack's phone and toss it onto his desk despite Jack's protest. Jack nipped at Hiccup's hand playfully when it came back to cup his face as payback. And as payback for payback, Hiccup bumped his forehead into Jack's and pecked his nose. "What did I tell you about pranking me while I was asleep?"

Jack appeared impossibly offended. "I would never!"

Hiccup could recall a dozen examples─ all within the past couple days, in fact─ in which he could prove Jack wrong. He was about to mention at least one, but decided against it and pulled Jack in for another kiss. The boy with amazingly white hair and startling blue eyes hummed in amusement against Hiccup's lips and they collapsed into each other's embrace.

Jack was good trouble, indeed.

* * *

 **A/N: Yay! All the HiJack fluff! :D Hopefully that eases every puzzle piece into place and settles all the horrible tension that I've put you guys through. They're too gosh darn cute together. (No swearing near the babies!)**

 **Sooo... there's definitely a sequl, but what about nsfw spin-off/continuation? o: scandalous! (I mean, it'd also be _hilarious_ because it's their first time with each other and they probably don't know what they're doing... they probably don't even know who'd be top! And let's just admit they'd be huge goofs about it, too. So really, it'd be a fluffy smut if there ever was such a thing haha. Could I actually write one? Well...)**

 **Also, I've decided to go on with the Pirate!AU idea. It won't get uploaded/finished until I finish my other works (well, not all of them). I sort of got ahead of myself and drew a map (well, it's Hiccup's map), along with a description and some details on the story. It also contains a brief summary. You can find this in a link on my profile (but if you'd rather have a more direct answer or have questions for me, please pm me and I'll give you details). I'd really appreciate it if you guys could tell me whether or not it's a good idea; I've already gotten super into it (like how I get into everything), but I'd like to know that it'd be something people would want to read.**

 **Have a great day/night, everyone! :)**


	11. Sequel Update Info

Hello lovelies!

This is just a brief add-on to those following (or whichever) to say some things about the sequel.

It will be posted both here and on AO3, so wherever you read this is up to you. I do have to mention, however, that the two stories will be slightly different. Due to FF hiding a lot of M-rated content (which I couldn't write this sequel without using some M-rated stuff), a calmed-down and slightly censored version of some chapters will be the ones posted to FF. If you _really_ wanna read what I've truly written about these poor boys (or want to indulge in some other things *wink*), you can read the version on AO3. The overall plot of the sequel will be the same, so you aren't missing anything if you prefer one site over the other. I'll just be going into, well, _more detail_ , over on AO3 than I will be on FF.

This message also applies to my Pirate!AU I've been blabbering about (it's almost here, I swear).

You should be seeing these new stories soon!

Yours truly,

Noon


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